After finalizing their strategy, the group decided to hold off the Skeleton Guardian while the rest ventured into the passage behind it to search for mechanisms—if no mechanisms were found, they would simply push forward.
In any case, directly confronting the Skeleton Guardian didn’t seem like a wise choice.
"Engage it now!" At Hu Tianyu’s command, the guild’s thieves sprang into action, testing the limits of the monster’s aggro range. Finally, when they closed in to a certain distance, the flames in the Skeleton Guardian’s eye sockets flared violently!
"ROOOOOAR!!!!!!" A deafening roar erupted, sending visible shockwaves rippling through the air. However, thanks to the distance and their preparations, the thieves remained unharmed.
"Crack, crack-crack." The sound of grinding bones echoed as the Skeleton Guardian patted its massive black shield before charging straight at the thieves!
"Don’t cluster together!"
Inside the vast corridor, players scrambled to take cover in the corners while the thieves kept the Skeleton Guardian occupied, leaving its back completely exposed.
They quickly realized that despite its enormous size and terrifying strength, the Skeleton Guardian was slow—likely due to the massive shield it carried. It couldn’t even keep up with the players’ movements.
"Avoid direct clashes! Everyone else, flank it!" Seizing the opportunity, the other players rushed past the distracted guardian.
"ROAR!!" Noticing the movement behind it, the Skeleton Guardian suddenly leaped into the air!
The players trying to slip past looked up just in time to see a colossal skeletal shadow crashing down on them!
"BOOM!!!!"
The impact sent shockwaves rippling outward, shaking the entire castle violently.
The blast instantly wiped out every player in the vicinity, sending dozens straight to the respawn point while scattering equipment across the ground.
Spotting a few blue and purple-tier items among the loot, the remaining players abandoned their original plan and lunged for the gear.
"Damn it, these freeloading trash dare steal our guild’s loot? Kill them all!" Hu Tianyu was already furious over losing so many guild members to the Skeleton Guardian’s attack. Seeing the outsiders snatching their equipment, he immediately rallied his men to cut them down.
A bizarre scene unfolded—the Skeleton Guardian chased players, while the guild chased other players, turning the battlefield into utter chaos.
"Guild Leader, we can’t hold out!"
"Guild Leader, this damn monster’s way too OP!"
The Skeleton Guardian rampaged unchecked, crushing players with every charge. It showed no signs of fatigue, shrugging off both magical and physical attacks with ease.
Just then, Hu Tianyu noticed Su Qiao and her group slipping past unnoticed, sprinting at full speed toward the passage behind the guardian.
"Stop them!"
A barrage of spells rained down, attempting to intercept the Skyhawk Guild. But between the difficulty of casting accurately while moving and the Skeleton Guardian’s relentless destruction, the mages couldn’t halt their advance.
"Hahaha, guess you’ll have to keep it busy for us! We’re off to slay the boss!" Su Qiao couldn’t contain her laughter, thrilled to see the Skeleton Guardian stomping rival guild members underfoot.
Better yet, the sheer number of players served as perfect distractions, buying the Skyhawk Guild enough time to take down the boss.
The thought alone made Su Qiao’s heart race with excitement.
Soon after clearing the corridor, Su Qiao’s group encountered a few minor monsters, but they were easily dispatched, barely slowing their progress.
As they pressed forward, a grand hall came into view. At the far end stood a throne—and seated upon it was a skeletal mage, resting its skull on one hand.
The flickering flames in its hollow eyes betrayed a hint of surprise.
"Boss, that’s the hidden boss—the Lord of Decay!" The bald man beside Su Qiao couldn’t hide his glee at the sight.
"Perfect! Vanguards, engage! The rest, guard the passage—don’t let anyone else slip in!"
The guild had brought over a hundred members. After quickly arranging their formation, they prepared to take on the boss.
...
"Hmm?" At that moment, the Lord of Decay—or rather, Ye Chuan—rose from his throne with mild interest.
Though he wasn’t entirely sure of the players’ overall strength, he had to admit they had some skill if they’d managed to bypass his Skeleton Guardian.
Feeling playful, Ye Chuan deepened his voice and intoned,
"Foolish invaders, why do you disturb my ruined slumber?"
Then, feigning alarm, he took a step back. "Unless… you’ve learned of my legendary treasure vault?!"
His words sent waves of excitement through the Skyhawk Guild.
There really was treasure!
"Legendary weapons! Everyone, attack! Whoever lands the final blow gets a 500,000 bonus!" Su Qiao was practically vibrating with excitement as she pointed forward.
The players surged into action—warriors charged, while mages and archers unleashed a relentless barrage from the rear.
"Mana Shield."
With a casual wave of his skeletal hand, Ye Chuan conjured a glowing barrier that effortlessly blocked every attack.
Meanwhile, the warriors froze mid-charge, unable to move.
"What’s happening?!" Su Qiao gaped in disbelief.
"I can’t move my body!"
"What?!"
"Damn it, check your status bars!"
The players frantically checked their debuff lists—only to find rows upon rows of negative effects. Most bosses might inflict paralysis or fear at worst, but this? The sheer number of debuffs made some wonder if their eyes were deceiving them.
As the effects took hold, the players’ bodies flickered with multicolored lights while their HP plummeted in percentages. Healing spells and potions proved useless.
Within seconds, the players melted away before Ye Chuan’s eyes.
"It’s over, foolish thieves." With that, Ye Chuan inflicted Cognitive Pollution on every remaining player.
"It hurts… I can’t breathe…" Su Qiao’s eyes widened in horror. Her pain settings were at a mere 1%—why did it hurt so much?!
The next instant, the entire Skyhawk Guild was wiped out.
Surveying the sea of soul fragments and equipment left behind, Ye Chuan casually waved his hand, absorbing everything into his inventory.
"Not bad." He rubbed his skeletal chin thoughtfully.
't think I'm that capable, I'm just trying my best to stay alive. I've been kind all my life, never did anything bad, yet worldly suffering spared me not one bit. The human world is a nice place, but I won't come back in my next life. A kind young man, who wanted to just get by singing, but through repeated deceits and betrayals, has gone down an irredeemable path.
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
ose... to cooperate with the protagonist! Shen Yuan: I have a system! Protagonist: What? System: Holy crap, you're just spilling it out like that? Shen Yuan: Let's team up, we'll split the system rewards! Protagonist: Fifty-fifty split? Shen Yuan: No way! Protagonist: What!? I'm the one getting beaten up, and I don't get half? Shen Yuan: Forty-sixty split, I get forty, you get sixty! Protagonist: Deal! Big brother, come on, hit me! As long as it doesn't kill me, beat me like you mean it! Shen Yuan: Don't worry... I will definitely protect all of you! No one but me can lay a finger on you! Guard our Heaven's Chosen Ones! I'm the only one allowed to bully them!
