Chapter 45
Chapter 45
“The second piece of information is even more important!”
As Zhou Ming hurried toward Flame Hills, he explained to Qianying, “Cangxuan said that all the fertile lands and resources are currently in the Light Faction’s hands, so the Dark Faction doesn’t have much money.”
He paused briefly, then added, “In other words, I can’t rely on the Dark Faction to gather a million gold coins. My only hope lies with the Light Faction.”
The information Cangxuan had inadvertently revealed had, in a sense, already helped him identify his target.
“You’re going to rob the gods of the Light Faction?”
“That would be far too difficult!”
Zhou Ming shook his head. “I’m nowhere near strong enough to oppose them right now.”
“Then what do you mean…?”
“Plans succeed through secrecy!”
Zhou Ming didn’t deny that he already had something in mind. “A plan that exists only on paper may not unfold as intended. Boasting about it before I achieve anything would only make it more likely to fail.”
…
At the same time, demonic energy surged ever more violently through the Abyss. Endless savage beasts roared at the sky, venting their resentment and fury at being imprisoned.
The moment when the Abyss would shatter the gods’ seal was close at hand.
For the creatures within, freedom was about to arrive.
“Hmph!”
Blood Elf ยท Amy, the Ninth Demon God, withdrew her projection from the Destiny Continent, still visibly displeased.
She did not deny Zhouyou Shijie’s potential. But countless geniuses died before maturity. How many ever truly grew into their strength?
Adventurers could resurrect after death, which was certainly troublesome, but there were still ways to restrain them.
“Cangxuan, why is he so inexplicably confident?” Suspicion entered her eyes. “Did you reveal something important and give him a way out of this?”
“You’re overthinking it!”
Cangxuan laughed. “I have always handled matters flawlessly and guarded every secret. An insignificant adventurer extracting useful information from me would be harder than ascending to the heavens!”
“Indeed…”
The other Demon Gods nodded in agreement.
Cangxuan’s former identity meant he and the Light Faction were irreconcilable enemies. There was no possibility of him betraying the Dark Faction.
Afterward, the many Demon Gods who inspired terror in millions departed to handle important matters.
Alone at the top of the castle, Cangxuan stared into the distance, his gaze dark and unreadable.
“Wagering that you won’t die… Zhouyou Shijie, when both factions move against you, do you truly possess the confidence to survive?”
He couldn’t understand what the man intended.
The Divine Ember Queen was indeed extraordinarily powerful, but even she couldn’t guarantee Zhou Ming’s survival through a death trap designed specifically for him.
…
The blazing sun scorched the earth.
Flame Hills lay northwest of Qingshui City. Few people ever came here. Crimson sand covered the ground, shattered rocks lay everywhere, and not a single blade of grass grew across the lifeless region.
“Ding!”
[You have entered Flame Hills!]
Zhou Ming arrived in a hurry, determined to find a way to claim the first Gold Boss kill.
He had little time left!
Every step before the siege had to be executed as perfectly as possible, tilting the scales of victory further in his favor.
“You finally made it!”
Tingfeng Xiyu had been waiting at the edge of Flame Hills for a long time, sweating profusely from the heat. “This godforsaken place isn’t fit for humans!”
“Thanks for the hard work,” Zhou Ming said.
“Don’t mention it. There’s no need for that between us!” Tingfeng Xiyu waved, then grew serious. “You need to be careful. I heard Gaibang Laoda teleported over from another town. He’s already gathered quite a few famous expert players!”
Gaibang Laoda?
Zhou Ming narrowed his eyes. “It seems a lot of people want me dead this time!”
He had to admit that every faction’s arrangements were remarkably intricate.
Driven by shared interests, the Light Faction, Dark Faction, and player faction each pursued separate goals while maintaining a subtle alliance in Qingshui Town. Zhou Ming had become the target of everyone.
“Brother, be careful. If you need my help when the time comes, just contact me,” Tingfeng Xiyu said.
“Deal!”
Zhou Ming nodded and took out the two pieces of equipment he had replaced. “Consider these my thanks!”
“What the hell, Gold grade?!”
Tingfeng Xiyu jumped in shock and hurriedly refused. “I can’t take these. They’re far too valuable! You could sell them at the auction house for at least tens of thousands!”
Gold-grade equipment was exceedingly rare at this stage.
Ordinary players could barely obtain Silver equipment.
“Take them!”
Zhou Ming’s expression grew solemn. “I’ve asked for your help over and over. If you refuse, it won’t sit right with me.”
“This…”
Tingfeng Xiyu hesitated, then nodded. “All right. I won’t make a fuss. Twenty thousand as a friendship price.”
…
“Ding!”
[Your linked account has received a transfer of 20,000 yuan!]
Tingfeng Xiyu handled things decisively and transferred the money into Zhou Ming’s account at once.
“The Gold Boss isn’t far ahead. I’ll take you there!” Tingfeng Xiyu equipped the two Gold-grade items, his face glowing and his steps full of energy.
“All right!”
The two ventured deeper into Flame Hills, avoiding the Level 50 common monsters known as Flame Lizards whenever possible. Before long, they spotted a gigantic lizard more than five meters long.
It had powerful limbs, a thick and muscular tail, and skin as crimson as flame. Its appearance was savage and vicious.
With Qianying’s help, Zhou Ming was able to inspect the Flame Lizard King’s attributes in advance.
[Flame Lizard King] (Gold Boss)
Level: 60
HP: 300,000
Attack: 2,000-2,150
Defense: 1,600-1,700
Skills: [Wicked Bite] [Crimson Fireball] [Flame Breath] [Shockwave]
Description: Lord of Flame Hills. Violent, fiercely competitive, and extremely hostile toward outsiders.
…
“The Flame Lizard King is nearly the same level as the Giant Rock Monster, but simply reaching Gold grade increased its attributes by this much?” Zhou Ming was amazed.
“If you were Level 50, killing it would be effortless,” Qianying explained.
Zhou Ming understood.
Level 50!
By then, he would likely meet the requirement for class promotion, or what players commonly called their second class advancement.
Unfortunately, the situation was urgent. He had to kill a Gold Boss before the siege and use Qianying’s ability to obtain equipment above Radiant grade.
That would dramatically reduce the threat other players posed to him.
“I’ll have to wear it down slowly!”
Blackwind Sword in hand, Zhou Ming stepped forward and opened with Blazing Heaven Sword, inflicting 0.75 seconds of Suppression. Rending Slash followed immediately.
-1!
-600!
-600!
…
No player at this stage could possibly kill a Gold Boss through ordinary damage alone.
Zhou Ming’s sole path to victory was his maxed fire-element resistance and Rending Slash’s damage equal to 0.5% of Max HP per second, allowing him to forcibly grind the boss down.
“Graah!”
Enraged by the ambush, the Flame Lizard King opened its massive jaws and bit at him.
“Ding!”
[You have used Sovereign’s Descent, successfully copying Tingfeng Xiyu’s Talent Extreme Shadow and raising its rank by 1!]
“Ding!”
[Your Talent has transformed into Godspeed (SS Rank)!]
…
MISS!
Zhou Ming’s Movement Speed nearly doubled. He evaded the attack with ease.
Boom!
The Flame Lizard King’s attack frequency was unexpectedly high. It immediately spat out a fireball as a second attack.
MISS!
The same symbol appeared again, but this time it represented immunity rather than evasion.
“I’ll stay out of the excitement!” Tingfeng Xiyu called from a safe distance, not daring to approach.
Only Zhouyou Shijie could challenge a Gold Boss through a combination of immunity and overwhelming Movement Speed. Any other player would die in two hits.
“Graah!”
Repeated failures only made the Flame Lizard King more violent. Its four legs churned as it moved at high speed, yet it still couldn’t catch the opponent empowered by Godspeed.
The moment twenty seconds passed, Zhou Ming swiftly reapplied Rending Slash.
The lizard seized the opportunity and finally sank its teeth into his shoulder.
-1,050!
Zhou Ming’s expression didn’t change as he easily broke free.
After equipping two pieces of Radiant armor, his HP had risen above ten thousand. Even a Gold Boss could not kill him easily.
Time passed slowly…
When the Flame Lizard King’s HP reached 50%, it began frantically spewing fire from its mouth and attacking at range.
“Ding!”
[The Flame Lizard King has used Flame Breath, dealing a continuous fire attack equal to 100% damage to the target for 10 seconds!]
MISS!
MISS!
MISS!
Zhou Ming remained completely unharmed.
Later, when the Flame Lizard King’s HP fell to 30%, it began leaping up and down as shock waves erupted beneath its feet.
“That isn’t fire-element damage!” Tingfeng Xiyu warned.
Blazing Heaven Sword!
Zhou Ming leaped high into the air and summoned Blazing Heaven Sword horizontally. Instead of attacking a target, he stepped onto the blade and briefly suspended himself in midair.
“What the hell!”
Tingfeng Xiyu’s eyes went wide. “S-Sword flight?”
…