Chapter 42: Wind of Slaughter

“Tell me, Little Lin, we’re not here just sightseeing this time, are we?!”

Yang Qi stared wide-eyed at Longxue, who was single-handedly slaughtering everything in sight. She had charged straight into a vast formation of Undead Archers, and with every rise and fall of her sword, another one was cut down. Most outrageous of all, the Undead Archers’ attacks passed directly through her body without inflicting the slightest damage! In the span of Yang Qi’s sentence alone, Longxue had killed three more. At this rate, it would not be long before she swept the entire area clean.

Lin Zheng did not answer. Instead, he opened the map and took a look. They were already at the far end of the Blood Valley. The path ahead was too narrow for another horde of monsters to appear. More likely, something like a boss was guarding the way.

“All right, stop complaining. It’s rare that we get to tag along without doing anything. What, you’re unhappy about it?” Lin Zheng snapped at the muttering Yang Qi.

Yang Qi rolled her eyes. “Tagging along only counts if we get a share of the experience. Look at us now—we haven’t gained a single point!”

“Then do you think we could charge through without Longxue?” Lin Zheng pointed toward the Undead Archers in the distance. “Those things have a maximum attack of 3,200. If they all fired a volley at once…”

Yang Qi fell silent. He was right. The Undead Archers ahead were absurdly powerful. It was not that they could not withstand them or kill them, but it would take an enormous amount of time and effort. In particular, their resistance to the rank suppression effect would last only one hour. If they could not eliminate the Undead Archers within that hour, they would be left with nothing but disaster.

“We’re probably going to fight a boss,” Lin Zheng said, looking at the Undead Archers Longxue had nearly finished off. “Otherwise, giving us a buff that lets us ignore rank suppression just so we can stand around and do nothing wouldn’t make much sense.”

Yang Qi nodded and said to the others, “I doubt the boss is below level sixty. This is an elite-monster map, so the boss should be at least Dark Gold grade. Even without rank suppression, its abilities will be terrifying. Everyone, be careful!”

As they spoke, Longxue finished killing the last of the Undead Archers and rushed forward impatiently. Lin Zheng and the others hurried after her. After rounding a bend, the final stretch of the Blood Valley finally appeared before them.

Lin Zheng could not help freezing when he saw the scene ahead. A circular altar stood before them, its center burning with ghostly blue flames. Within those flames, a shadow seemed to be struggling faintly, but there was no sign of any monster—let alone a boss.

Could they have guessed wrong? Had they really come all this way just to take a stroll?

“Linglong—”

Before Lin Zheng could figure out what was happening, Longxue cried out in grief and rushed toward the altar. It seemed that the soul suffering within the flames was Linglong’s. At the sight of it, Longxue was overwhelmed with sorrow and immediately tried to rescue Linglong from her torment.

But at that moment, Yang Qi’s expression suddenly changed.

“Longxue, watch out!”

“What?”

Longxue turned slightly in confusion. In the next instant, a black knight statue hidden in a corner of the altar suddenly exploded. Amid the blast, a longsword wreathed in blood-red flames shot out and pierced straight through the unsuspecting Longxue, lifting her into the air on its tip. She hung there motionless.

Lin Zheng and the others were horrified. Surely Longxue had not been killed just like that?

A shrill laugh, like the cry of a night owl, rang out from the site of the knight statue. When the dust from the explosion finally settled, a knight clad in black armor and wielding twin swords appeared before them. He rode a Nightmare whose entire body burned with blood-red flames. His presence was imposing—he looked every inch the ultimate boss.

Blood Lord, Slaughterwind: Level 62 Dark Gold Boss. Physical Attack: 4,240–5,450. Physical Defense: 1,500. Magic Defense: 1,400. Health: 850,000. Skills: Charge, True Flame Slash Level 3, Thunderous Trample!

A great lord from a thousand years ago, greedy and tyrannical, he was slain by the curse of Linglong, mistress of Peach Blossom Valley. Because of his immense strength, he transformed into an undead knight after death and retained his consciousness. He commanded all the immortal undead in the Blood Valley, but the restrictions of the curse prevented him from leaving.

The boss’s formidable attributes left Lin Zheng and the others stunned. A maximum attack of 5,450 and defense reaching 1,500—how were they supposed to kill him?!

While they were still racking their brains, Slaughterwind snarled viciously, “My thousand-year wait was not in vain. At last, the soul of that wretched woman has been delivered to me! It was all because of her sister’s meddling that I was trapped here for more than a thousand years!”

After roaring, Slaughterwind let out another hideous laugh like a night owl.

“But no matter. Once I devour you, I’ll break through the accursed restrictions surrounding Peach Blossom Valley. Then, with my immortal body, I shall rule the entire world!”

“Great. Another lunatic trying to conquer the world,” Lin Zheng said, glaring at Slaughterwind with contempt.

Slaughterwind suddenly drew the Longxue impaled on his sword toward his face. He opened his dry, corpse-like mouth and tried to bite down.

Lin Zheng and the others were horrified. If that monstrous mouth closed around her, Longxue would certainly die!

Yang Qi immediately hurled herself forward.

“Greatsword Thrust!”

A massive sword aura slammed into the Nightmare’s body.

-2,850!

The damage floated above Slaughterwind’s head, and the blow forced him backward. Longxue, now in soul form, drifted lightly free of the blood-red sword of flame, escaping the monster’s jaws.

“Damn you! Are you the helpers that wretched woman called here?! I was planning to deal with her first and then take my time with you. Since you’re so eager to die, then go to hell!”

Roaring, Slaughterwind launched a charge. His Nightmare thundered toward Yang Qi, but there was still some distance between them—more than enough time for her to prepare. Just as Slaughterwind was about to crash into her, Yang Qi sidestepped in a sharp zigzag and dodged the charge, then spun around and added a sword strike of her own.

-1,450.

The damage made the corner of Yang Qi’s mouth twitch. With 850,000 health, how long would it take to kill him at that rate?!

“Smack!”

Lin Zheng’s arrow struck Slaughterwind.

-1,810.

The attack suppressed Slaughterwind’s health recovery—and, unexpectedly, triggered the Armor Shatter effect!

What an opportunity!

Yang Qi immediately followed with a Shadow Assault.

-3,560.

“Rage Slash!”

She brought her sword down, unexpectedly triggering the attribute Three-Legged Crow. Three damage figures rose into the air at once:

-5,890. -5,680. -5,790.

Now that was satisfying!

Yang Qi cried out inwardly and swiftly retreated, leaving the burning boss to lose several thousand health every second. The might of Sunfire was finally displayed to its fullest against a boss with an enormous health pool. Slaughterwind was currently losing more than 8,000 health every second—far more effective than Yang Qi hacking away at him herself!

With ten seconds of burn time, it was enough to strip away tens of thousands of health.

However, Sunfire was only devastating while the boss’s health was full. Once Slaughterwind’s health began to fall, its power would no longer be nearly as impressive.