95: Chapter 95 Scorpion King's Fierce Battle, Overlord Body Clashes Head-on

In the abandoned mine tunnel, time seemed to freeze.

Ten Illumination Pearls floated in mid-air, casting a ghastly pale halo. The light illuminated a radius of thirty zhang, while the further reaches were swallowed by deep darkness. The walls of the mine tunnel bore rough excavation marks, covered in a layer of grayish-white moss that twitched slightly under the light, as if it were alive.

The air was filled with the smell of mold, dust, and a faint, elusive scent of sulfur. From the distance came the occasional sound of water droplets hitting the ground, ding-dong, ding-dong, exceptionally clear in the silence.

The team sat in a circle, conducting their most thorough rest since entering the Primal Ancient Mine.

Lin Ye checked on everyone's status.

Su Qingyue sat cross-legged on a relatively flat rock, her hands forming Seals and resting on her knees, with pale blue moonlight circulating around her. She was circulating the Guanghan Heart Scripture, recovering her exhausted Divine Power. Her Ice Jade Staff leaned against her shoulder, the ice crystal at its tip glowing slightly as it absorbed the thin water-attribute Spiritual Qi in the air.

Chen Hao sat leaning against the rock wall, carefully wiping his longbow. The bowstring was a newly replaced Flood Dragon tendon string, shimmering with a dark golden luster under the Illumination Pearls. His quiver was already half empty, and the remaining arrows were sorted and placed: twelve Burst Arrows with crimson runes carved on the tips; eighteen Armor-Piercing Arrows with triangular pyramid-shaped tips; and thirty-five ordinary arrows, mostly for backup. He was maintaining the bow body with special grease, his movements meticulous.

Shi Potian's situation was the worst.

He was shirtless, his bronze-colored skin covered in fine wounds—traces left by the corrosion of spider venom. Although he had undergone treatment by Holy Light, most of the toxins had been cleared, but the wounds needed time to heal. More serious were the aftereffects of overusing his Tyrant Body: his muscles were twitching slightly and uncontrollably, and the dark golden markings under his skin were dull and lusterless—a sign of overdrawing his Bloodline Power.

Holy Light sat beside Shi Potian, holding a Low-Grade Spirit Stone in his hand, slowly absorbing the energy within. His Holy Light Staff had been destroyed, and now he could only rely on the most basic healing Spells. After his Rank dropped by one level, his healing ability was significantly weakened, and he could not serve as the main healer for a short time.

Flame Dance's staff lay across her knees, and the Flame Jade gemstone at the tip had developed fine cracks. Continuously casting high-level fire-attribute Spells had put immense pressure on this Rare-grade equipment. She closed her eyes to regulate her breathing, attempting to calm the restless fire-attribute Divine Power within her.

Lu Ming was organizing the remaining Formation Materials. Three of the twelve Formation Flags were destroyed, the Formation Plate had cracks, and only a small half-bottle of spiritual ink for carving runes remained. He furrowed his brows, calculating how many decent Formations he could still set up.

Qin Ruoxue unfolded the hand-drawn map, using a special spirit pen to mark new information: the location of the rock caves, spider distribution, coordinates of the life stone vein, and the direction of this current unknown mine tunnel. Her complexion remained pale; damage to the Divine Sense could not be recovered in a short time.

Zhao Wuji was taking inventory of the supplies.

Three Storage Pouches were spread out before him, and the items inside were taken out, classified, and recorded one by one.

"Sixty-three bottles of Advanced Blood Recovery Pills remain, with ten pills per bottle," Zhao Wuji reported while recording. "Forty-two bottles of Advanced spirit recovery pill. Eighteen bottles of Miasma Cleansing Pills, nine bottles of Soul Suppressing Pills. Universal Antidote... only five left."

"Food and water are enough for three days. The Illumination Pearls can still be used for forty hours. Spare clothing, tools, ropes..."

"Most importantly, seventy-nine pieces of primordial life stone Ore, all intact, with an energy loss rate of less than 2%."

He looked up at Lin Ye: "Boss, the consumption of supplies is faster than expected. Especially the Medicinal Pills; the previous battle consumed too much."

Lin Ye nodded: "As expected. The danger level of the Ancient Mine far exceeds our estimates."

He stood up, walked to the edge of the mine tunnel, and expanded his Divine Sense to scout ahead.

This abandoned mine tunnel was narrower than the previous main mine tunnel, only wide enough for two people to walk side by side. The ground was paved with stone slabs, but most were shattered, and grayish-white moss grew in the cracks. The mine tunnel extended forward, endless within the range of his Divine Sense, but he could feel a weak airflow—this meant there might be an exit ahead, or it connected to a larger space.

"Rest for two hours," Lin Ye decided. "After two hours, we will move forward along this mine tunnel to find an exit."

"What if we can't find an exit?" Zhao Wuji asked worriedly.

"Then we look for other paths," Lin Ye said calmly. "No matter how big the Ancient Mine is, it has boundaries. We have collected the primordial life stones; the core goal is already completed. The only thing to do now is to leave alive."

He looked at everyone: "Everyone, seize the time to recover. Shi Potian, can you still fight?"

Shi Potian grinned, though the smile was somewhat forced: "Yes! Give me two hours, and the Tyrant Body will recover by fifty percent. I can't fight hard battles, but ordinary combat is no problem."

"Good."

Lin Ye also sat down cross-legged and began to circulate the Chaos Scripture.

The Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body operated on its own, absorbing the dense Chaos Qi in the mine tunnel. This Qi, which was poison to other Cultivators, was a great tonic for him. With every breath, a massive amount of Chaos Qi was converted into Chaos Divine Power, replenishing his previous consumption.

What surprised him even more was that as the Chaos Divine Power circulated within his body, the prototype of the "Chaos Soul Suppressing Seal" he had created earlier was further perfecting itself. The battle against the Soul-Devouring Mist Demon had allowed this Divine Ability targeting the Divine Soul to truly take shape. Now, new insights constantly emerged in his mind, and his understanding of the Chaos Law deepened by another layer.

Two hours passed in silence.

When Lin Ye opened his eyes, his state had recovered to ninety percent. The recovery ability of the Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body was truly monstrous.

The others also finished their meditation one after another.

Su Qingyue's Divine Power had recovered by seventy percent, and her complexion was much rosier. Chen Hao's bow and arrows were maintained, and the arrows were reorganized. Shi Potian's external wounds had basically healed, and his Tyrant Body had recovered by about forty percent. Holy Light had absorbed three Spirit Stones and recovered some Divine Power, but his healing ability remained limited.

The cracks on Flame Dance's staff had not expanded, but it was best not to use high-level Spells in the short term. Lu Ming's Formation Materials were barely enough to set up one medium-sized Formation. Qin Ruoxue's Divine Sense had recovered a bit, but it remained fragile.

"Let's go."

At Lin Ye's command, the team set off again.

This time, the Formation was adjusted.

Due to the decline in Holy Light's healing ability, Shi Potian no longer served as the main tank; instead, he and Lin Ye walked at the very front, acting as each other's support. Su Qingyue and Chen Hao were in the center, Flame Dance and Holy Light were behind them, and Lu Ming, Qin Ruoxue, and Zhao Wuji were at the back of the team.

The Illumination Pearls paved the way ahead, gradually illuminating the dark mine tunnel.

This mine tunnel had clearly been abandoned for a long time, and the air was filled with a musty odor. The stone slabs on the ground were severely broken, and in some places, they had even collapsed into pits, requiring them to carefully detour.

After walking about one li, the mine tunnel began to change.

Niches carved by hand appeared on the rock walls on both sides, containing miner's lamps—not the ordinary kind they had seen before, but lamps made of some kind of crystal. Although they had long since gone out, one could still feel the faint energy fluctuations remaining within them.

"These lamps..." Lu Ming observed carefully, "use 'earth vein core' as an energy source. What an extravagant method!"

The earth vein core is a Rank 4 Artifact Refining material, usually used for setting up large Spirit Gathering Formations or refining earth-attribute Magic Treasures. Using such things for lighting indicated that this mine tunnel was very important in the ancient era.

Continuing forward, the niches became more numerous, and the miner's lamps became denser.

After walking another half a li, the path ahead suddenly opened up.

The end of the mine tunnel connected to a huge underground space.

This space was circular, with a diameter of over one hundred zhang and a height of over thirty zhang. The dome was a natural rock layer, embedded with countless glowing crystals. Those crystals emitted a soft white light, illuminating the entire space as if it were daytime.

In the center of the space was an altar.

The altar was three zhang high and octagonal, with a stone pillar standing at each corner, engraved with complex runes. The surface of the altar was paved with some kind of black jade, which was covered with dense patterns and text.

And around the altar, a large number of bones were scattered.

These bones were different from those seen before—they wore uniform standard-issue armor, with the emblem of a pickaxe and mountain peak carved on the armor. Most of the bones maintained a combat posture, holding weapons in their hands, facing the center of the altar, as if guarding something.

"This is..." Qin Ruoxue quickly flipped through the miner's log, "Found it! The end of the log mentions that the Seventh Mining Team was responsible for the rearguard during their retreat, covering the others as they evacuated. The last message sent back by the Guard Team was: they discovered an ancient ruin and prepared to use the power of the ruin to block the pursuing troops."

She looked up at the altar: "This must be the place."

Lin Ye expanded his Divine Sense to scan the entire space.

There was no breath of living things, nor were there any energy fluctuations. Those bones had indeed been dead for thousands of years, and the armor and weapons had all decayed. The runes on the altar were dim and lusterless, clearly having long since lost their energy supply.

"Safe," Lin Ye judged. "But we cannot stay long. Look for other exits."

The team stepped into the space.

Walking close to the altar, they could feel its grandeur. Each stone pillar required three people to encircle it, and although the runes on them were dim, one could still see the exquisite craftsmanship. The black jade on the surface of the altar was as warm and moist as ink. Lin Ye reached out to touch it, and a cold sensation came to his fingertips.

[Item: Soul Suppressing Ink Jade (Rare)]

[Type: Building Material / Artifact Refining Material]

[Description: A special jade produced from deep underground, containing the power to suppress the soul and calm the spirit.]

[Attributes: Mental Resistance +30, Divine Sense +50]

[Effects: 1. As a building material, it can be used to set up Formations to resist mental attacks; 2. Added during Artifact Refining, it can refine mental defense Magic Treasures; 3. Worn directly, it can slowly nourish the Divine Soul.]

[Dimensions: Each piece is about three feet long, two feet wide, and half a foot thick]

[Quantity: A total of sixty-four pieces are paved on the surface of the altar.]

"Soul Suppressing Ink Jade..." Lin Ye's heart stirred.

This thing had miraculous effects on repairing Qin Ruoxue's Divine Sense damage. And with such a large quantity, it was of great value.

But he did not collect it immediately—the most important thing now was to find an exit.

The team dispersed to search around the space.

Soon, Chen Hao discovered a hidden tunnel behind the altar. The entrance to the tunnel was half-covered by a collapsed boulder, making it hard to notice if one didn't look carefully.

"There is a path here!" Chen Hao shouted.

Everyone gathered around.

Lin Ye carefully observed the tunnel entrance. The tunnel was about one zhang wide and two zhang high, deep and dark inside. There were dragging marks on the ground, as if someone had once dragged something inside.

"Should we go in?" Su Qingyue asked.

Lin Ye pondered for a moment: "This is the only exit we have found so far. But we need to be careful; there may be danger inside."

He looked at Shi Potian: "How is your state?"

Shi Potian moved his shoulders: "The Tyrant Body has recovered by fifty percent. I can't fight a prolonged battle, but I can handle taking a few hits."

"Good, follow behind me. Everyone else keep your distance."

Lin Ye led the way into the tunnel.

It was darker inside the tunnel than outside; the light of the Illumination Pearl could only illuminate twenty zhang ahead. The ground was rough rock, not paved with stone slabs, making it uncomfortable to walk on. The rock walls on both sides were wet, with water droplets constantly seeping from the top, forming puddles on the ground.

The further in they went, the more humid the air became, and the temperature gradually rose.

After walking about three hundred zhang, a faint light appeared ahead.

It was not the white light of the Illumination Pearl, nor the soft light of crystals, but a dark red, magma-like glow.

At the same time, a wave of heat rushed toward them.

"Careful." Lin Ye lowered his voice.

The team slowed their pace, cautiously approaching the source of the light.

At the end of the tunnel was another huge underground space.

But this space was completely different from the previous one—

In the center of the space was a magma lake with a diameter of fifty zhang! Dark red magma flowed slowly, and bubbles occasionally rose to the surface, releasing scorching airflow and a pungent sulfur smell after bursting.

Around the magma lake was a black basalt ground, scattered with various Ore fragments, some of which were still glowing red in the high heat.

And on the opposite bank of the magma lake, another exit could be vaguely seen.

"There's a path!" Zhao Wuji said with surprise.

But Lin Ye's gaze did not look at the exit; instead, he stared fixedly at the center of the magma lake.

There, a huge black rock protruded from the lake surface. On the rock, a behemoth was lying.

It was exactly the Earth Dragon Scorpion King!

This giant beast was not sleeping at the moment; instead, it opened its eight dark golden compound eyes, staring coldly at the tunnel entrance. Its ten-zhang-long body was half-immersed in the magma, and its dark golden carapace shimmered with a metallic luster under the magma's light. Its two giant pincers opened and closed gently, emitting a teeth-aching metallic friction sound. The most terrifying thing was its tail, raised high, with the earthy-yellow crystal at the tip aimed directly at the direction where they were.

[System Prompt: Encountered 'Earth Dragon Scorpion King' (Boss Rank)!]

[Rank: 59]

[Type: Yao Beast / Dragon-Blooded Creature (Thin)]

[Attributes: Health: 12,000,000 / 12,000,000, Attack Power: 85,000-110,000, Defense: 72,000]

[Traits: 1. Earth Dragon Bloodline (Physical Defense +80%, Earth and Fire dual-element Spell resistance +60%); 2. Magma Adaptation (All attributes +30% in magma environment, recovery speed +500%); 3. Petrifying Gaze (Locks onto target with gaze, stacks one layer of 'Petrification' effect per second; target fully petrified after ten layers); 4. Great Earthquake Strike (Strikes the ground to trigger an area earthquake, causing damage and knock-down); 5. Lava Spit (Spits high-temperature lava from the mouth, causing continuous fire damage)]

[Weaknesses: 1. Defense at joint connections is relatively low; 2. Tail crystal is the energy core; destroying it can significantly weaken its abilities; 3. Ice-attribute Spells can counter its fire attribute.]

[Danger Rating: Extremely Dangerous! Recommend immediate escape!]

Seeing the System prompt, everyone gasped.

Twelve million Health! Eighty-five thousand to one hundred and ten thousand Attack! Seventy-two thousand Defense!

These attributes were more terrifying than three Spider Kings combined!

And it was in a magma environment, with all attributes increased by 30% and recovery speed increased by five times!

"Retreat..." Zhao Wuji's voice trembled.

But it was already too late.

The Earth Dragon Scorpion King let out a low roar, the sound echoing in the cave like muffled thunder. It stood up from the rock, its massive body bringing up a large amount of magma, its dark golden carapace fully exposed to the air.

Eight compound eyes locked onto the tunnel entrance simultaneously.

"It has discovered us!" Chen Hao bent his bow and nocked an arrow.

"Cannot retreat!" Lin Ye quickly analyzed the situation. "The retreat path is a dead end; only by defeating it or bypassing it can we have a chance of survival!"

He looked at the exit on the opposite bank of the magma lake: "The exit is on the opposite bank, and we must get there. And it is blocking the only way forward."

Shi Potian gripped his giant axe tightly, Battle Intent burning in his eyes: "Then we fight!"

"Fight, but we must use tactics." Lin Ye's brain worked at high speed. "This Scorpion King's attributes are too strong; we have no chance of winning in a head-on clash. We must utilize its weaknesses and the environment."

He looked at Su Qingyue: "Qingyue, can your ice-attribute Spells suppress the magma?"

Su Qingyue observed the magma lake: "I can temporarily freeze the surface, but not the depths. And the consumption will be very high."

"No need to freeze the entire lake surface, just create a temporary ice bridge when we cross," Lin Ye said. "After the battle starts, you are responsible for controlling the battlefield temperature to lower the Scorpion King's fire-attribute bonus."

"Chen Hao, you focus on its joints and eyes. Especially the tail crystal; that is the key."

"Flame Dance, your fire-attribute Spells have limited effect on it; switch to support—use flames to disrupt its vision and create smoke."

"Holy Light, you don't need to heal; switch to using 'Holy Purification' to dispel the petrification effect."

"Lu Ming, set up ice-attribute amplification Formations and deceleration Formations."

"Qin Ruoxue, Zhao Wuji, you retreat into the tunnel and be ready to provide support at any time."

Lin Ye finished laying out the tactics in one breath and finally looked at Shi Potian: "Brother Shi, the key to this battle lies with you. You need to hold it off head-on and create opportunities for us to attack its weaknesses. But remember, do not take it head-on; focus on dodging and parrying."

Shi Potian took a deep breath: "Understood!"

"Then—" A look of determination flashed in Lin Ye's eyes, "Let the battle begin!"

Almost at the same moment his voice fell, the Earth Dragon Scorpion King moved.

It did not charge over, but instead raised its tail, and the crystal at the tip lit up with an earthy-yellow glow!

"Dodge!" Lin Ye shouted urgently.

A beam of yellow light shot out from the crystal, sweeping across the spot where everyone had just been standing. The rocks touched by the yellow light rapidly turned grayish-white, their texture changing from hard to brittle—that was the petrification effect!

"That was close!" Chen Hao rolled to dodge and shot an arrow with a backhand motion.

The arrow flew toward the third compound eye on the left side of the Earth Dragon Scorpion King, but it closed its eyelid, and with a ding sound, the arrow deflected, leaving only a faint white mark.

"Its defense is too high!" Chen Hao gritted his teeth.

"My turn!" Shi Potian roared, activating his Tyrant Body!

A dark golden radiance shrouded his entire body once more, his physique expanding, and his muscles bulging. Dragging his giant axe behind him, he charged toward the Earth Dragon Scorpion King, shattering the ground rocks with every step.

The Earth Dragon Scorpion King lowered its head to look at this insignificant human, a hint of contempt flashing in its eyes. It raised a forelimb and swatted down as if swatting a fly.

That forelimb was thicker than Shi Potian's entire body, accompanied by a whistling wind.

Shi Potian did not dodge; instead, he gripped his axe with both hands and swung upwards in a sweeping strike!

"Open!"

The giant axe collided with the forelimb, producing a deafening metallic clash. Sparks flew, and Shi Potian was knocked back five steps, his arms numb, but a shallow wound had been carved into the Earth Dragon Scorpion King's forelimb, from which green blood seeped out.

"It's effective!" Shi Potian's eyes lit up.

The Earth Dragon Scorpion King felt the pain and let out an angry hiss. It no longer underestimated him, locking all eight of its compound eyes onto Shi Potian, and activated its Petrifying Gaze!

Shi Potian felt his body begin to stiffen, and a grayish-white color spread across the surface of his skin.

"Holy Purification!" Holy Light was released just in time.

The gentle Holy Light enveloped Shi Potian, dispelling the petrification effect. However, the Earth Dragon Scorpion King's gaze was continuous, so the Holy Light had to be released constantly to counteract it.

"Qingyue, freeze the ground!" Lin Ye ordered.

Su Qingyue raised her staff high, and cold energy surged out like a tide.

With her as the center, a layer of frost rapidly congealed on the ground within a radius of thirty zhang. The temperature at the edge of the magma lake plummeted, and the surface of the magma beneath the Earth Dragon Scorpion King even began to form a thin, black, hard shell.

The Earth Dragon Scorpion King was extremely sensitive to temperature changes; it twisted its body uneasily, wanting to retreat back into the depths of the magma.

"Now! Chen Hao, shoot its joints!" Lin Ye seized the opportunity.

Chen Hao had already drawn his bowstring to the full, and three armor-piercing arrows shot out simultaneously.

Swish, swish, swish!

The arrows accurately struck the joint connection of the Earth Dragon Scorpion King's left forelimb—that was a gap in its carapace, where its defense was relatively weak.

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

All three arrows sank in, and green blood gushed out. The Earth Dragon Scorpion King let out a painful hiss, and the movement of its left forelimb became noticeably sluggish.

"Good!" Lin Ye's eyes lit up. "Continue! Aim for all the joints!"

The squad began an all-out attack.

Su Qingyue continuously released ice-type Spells to suppress the magma temperature, while using ice cones to attack the Earth Dragon Scorpion King's compound eyes. Flame Dance released flame smoke to interfere with the Earth Dragon Scorpion King's vision. Chen Hao's arrows shot toward various joints like raindrops.

Shi Potian acted as the front-line distraction; he no longer fought head-on but used his relatively agile physique to circle around the Earth Dragon Scorpion King, his giant axe specifically targeting the gaps in its carapace.

The Earth Dragon Scorpion King was thoroughly enraged.

It abandoned its Petrifying Gaze in favor of more direct attacks. It brandished its giant pincers, launched surprise attacks with its tail stinger, and occasionally spat out lava from its mouth.

The battle entered a white-hot stage.

Shi Potian failed to dodge in time once and was grazed on his left shoulder by the tail stinger. Even with the protection of his Tyrant Body, that single blow took away one-third of his health, and his left shoulder was pierced through, with blood streaming down.

"Advanced spirit recovery pill!" Lin Ye threw a bottle of Medicinal Pills over.

Shi Potian threw his head back and swallowed ten, his health recovering rapidly, but the wound needed time to heal.

The battle continued.

The Earth Dragon Scorpion King's attacks were violent and lethal, yet the squad's coordination became increasingly seamless. Su Qingyue's ice-type crowd control, Chen Hao's strikes on weak points, Flame Dance's interference, the Holy Light's purification, Lu Ming's Formation assistance, and Lin Ye's overall command and support with the Chaos Domain at critical moments.

Time passed second by second.

Ten minutes, twenty minutes...

The number of wounds on the Earth Dragon Scorpion King's body increased, and green blood had stained nearly half of its body. Its movements were noticeably slower, especially its left forelimb, which could no longer be lifted normally due to severe joint damage.

However, the squad's consumption had also reached its limit.

Su Qingyue's Divine Power was exhausted again, and the power of her ice-type Spells was greatly reduced. Chen Hao had used up all his armor-piercing arrows and could only use regular arrows, which had a negligible effect. Flame Dance's smoke effect was becoming weaker, and the Earth Dragon Scorpion King had adapted to it. The purification of the Holy Light could not keep up with the speed of the petrification accumulation, and Shi Potian already had three layers of petrification effects on him.

Shi Potian's Tyrant Body was nearing its limit; his health fluctuated repeatedly under the support of the Advanced spirit recovery pills, but each injury was more severe than the last.

Over forty bottles of Advanced spirit recovery pills had already been consumed.

"This won't work!" Lin Ye looked at the Earth Dragon Scorpion King, which still had over eight million health, and gritted his teeth as he made a decision. "We must attack its core!"

He pointed to the earthy-yellow crystal on the Earth Dragon Scorpion King's tail. "That is its energy core. If we destroy it, we will have a chance of winning!"

"But how do we get close?" Shi Potian panted heavily. "That tail is too fast; I can't dodge it at all."

Lin Ye looked at Su Qingyue. "Qingyue, how long can you freeze its tail?"

Su Qingyue estimated, "If I go all out... three seconds."

"Three seconds is enough." A look of determination flashed in Lin Ye's eyes. "Shi Potian, I will create an opportunity for you. Within three seconds, you must destroy that crystal!"

"How?"

"I will use the Chaos Domain to suppress it, and Qingyue will freeze the tail at the same time. You need to tank one attack, rush to its tail, and strike with all your might!"

Shi Potian looked at the Earth Dragon Scorpion King's terrifying tail stinger and gritted his teeth. "Alright! I'll try!"

"It's not about trying; you must succeed." Lin Ye said in a deep voice. "If we fail, we will all die here."

He looked at everyone. "This is our last stand. Everyone, coordinate with me."

The squad readjusted their Formation.

Lin Ye walked to the very front, and his Chaos Divine Power began to circulate wildly. Within his body, the Chaos Divine Treasuries were fully opened; the heart, spleen, and lung divine treasuries resonated simultaneously, and Chaos Qi surged out from every pore in his body, condensing into a vague phantom behind him—that was the proto-form of the Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body's dharma image.

"Chaos Domain, fully open!"

Gray mist erupted with Lin Ye as the center, instantly covering the entire battlefield. Within the range of the Domain, the Earth Dragon Scorpion King's attributes were suppressed by 30%, and its movements were noticeably sluggish.

However, maintaining the fully opened Chaos Domain consumed a massive amount of energy. Lin Ye's Divine Power was dropping rapidly at a rate of five thousand points per second.

"Now! Qingyue!"

Su Qingyue bit the tip of her tongue and sprayed a mouthful of essence blood onto her staff. The ice jade staff shone brightly, and the cold energy condensed to the extreme.

"Absolute Zero!"

An icy-blue beam of light shot toward the Earth Dragon Scorpion King's tail; wherever it passed, the air froze into ice crystals. The beam hit the tail stinger and spread rapidly, freezing the entire tail into an ice sculpture!

The Earth Dragon Scorpion King struggled violently, and cracks appeared in the layer of ice on its tail.

"Three seconds!" Su Qingyue's face was deathly pale, and she collapsed to the ground.

"Shi Potian!" Lin Ye roared.

Shi Potian's eyes were bloodshot, and his Tyrant Body was driven to an unprecedented level. The dark golden patterns all over his body flowed as if they were alive, his health was burning, and his power was boiling.

"Tyrant Body: Sacrifice!"

This was his trump card secret technique, burning his health to gain triple attack power, but the cost was falling into deep weakness afterward, and his level might drop.

But at this moment, he could not care about that.

Shi Potian turned into a streak of golden light and charged toward the Earth Dragon Scorpion King.

The Earth Dragon Scorpion King sensed the threat and wanted to turn around, but it was suppressed by the Chaos Domain, and its movements were half a beat slow. It raised its other forelimb and swatted at Shi Potian.

Shi Potian did not dodge or evade; he tanked the blow!

Crack!

The sound of bone shattering was clearly audible. Shi Potian spat out a mouthful of blood, his left arm fractured, and his sternum caved in. But using the force of that blow, his speed increased again, and he instantly rushed to the tail of the Earth Dragon Scorpion King.

He held his giant axe high, all his power concentrated at a single point.

"Break for me—!"

The axe blade cleaved into the earthy-yellow crystal.

Time seemed to stand still for a moment.

Then, a crack appeared on the surface of the crystal.

The crack spread rapidly, covering the entire crystal like a spiderweb.

The next second, the crystal exploded with a boom!

Earthy-yellow energy surged out violently, forming an energy storm that swept through the entire space. The Earth Dragon Scorpion King let out a deafening howl, its tail hung limply, and the glow around its body rapidly dimmed.

[System Prompt: Successfully destroyed the 'Earth Dragon Scorpion King' energy core!]

[Effect: Earth Dragon Scorpion King's total attributes decreased by 50%, recovery ability disabled, skills 'Petrifying Gaze' and 'Lava Spit' disabled!]

"We did it!" Chen Hao said with pleasant surprise.

But the battle was not over yet.

With its core destroyed, the Earth Dragon Scorpion King fell into a frenzy. It charged toward Shi Potian regardless of everything, intending to die with him.

Shi Potian was exhausted and stood in place, unable to move.

At the critical moment, Lin Ye moved.

He retracted the Chaos Domain and injected all his remaining Divine Power into the myriad things mother qi cauldron embryo. The cauldron shone brightly, Chaos Qi flowed, and the mouth of the cauldron was aimed at the Earth Dragon Scorpion King.

"Suppress!"

It was not an attack, but a Seal.

The Chaos Qi turned into countless chains, locking the Earth Dragon Scorpion King's massive body tightly. Although it could only be maintained for a few short seconds, it was enough.

"Chen Hao! Su Qingyue! Flame Dance! All-out attack!"

The final offensive.

Chen Hao shot his last three explosive arrows, all of which hit the wound on the Earth Dragon Scorpion King's head. Su Qingyue condensed her last bit of Divine Power to release an ice spear that pierced the Earth Dragon Scorpion King's heart. Flame Dance released her last bit of flames to scorch the Earth Dragon Scorpion King's internal organs.

The Earth Dragon Scorpion King struggled and hissed, but its strength was draining rapidly.

Finally, at the twenty-eighth minute.

This level 59 boss-level Yao Beast collapsed with a boom.

Its massive body hit the ground, kicking up clouds of dust. Green blood gushed out from countless wounds, converging into a stream that flowed into the magma lake, making a sizzling sound.

[System Prompt: Congratulations to your team for successfully killing the 'Earth Dragon Scorpion King' (Level 59 Boss)!]

[Obtained Experience Points: 12,000,000 (Level-crossing kill reward +50%)]

[Obtained Reputation: 15,000]

[Obtained Items: Scorpion King Poison Stinger (Epic) x1, Earth Dragon Scale Armor (Fine) x30, earth vein core (Rare) x1, Earth Spirit Crystal Soul (Fine) x5, High-Grade Spirit Stone x80, Mid-Grade Spirit Stone x300.]

[Bonus Reward: First Kill Achievement 'Dragon Slayer (Pseudo)', Damage to Dragon-blooded creatures +10%.]

The System prompts flooded the screen, but no one was in the mood to read them.

Shi Potian was unconscious, covered in blood, and his aura was weak. Su Qingyue was slumped on the ground, her Divine Power completely exhausted. Chen Hao's arms were trembling, and he could barely hold his bow. Flame Dance's staff was completely shattered, and the Flame Jade gemstone had turned into powder. Holy Light had exhausted its last bit of Divine Power to maintain a sliver of life for Shi Potian.

All of Lu Ming's Formations were destroyed. Qin Ruoxue's Divine Sense was damaged again, and her head ached as if it were splitting. Although Zhao Wuji had not participated in the battle, he was mentally overstrained and nearly collapsed.

Lin Ye had also reached his limit.

Having continuously maintained the Chaos Domain and then cast a sealing Spell, his Divine Power had bottomed out, and three strands of chaos origin source had been consumed. At this moment, he only felt dizzy and unable to stand steadily.

But the battle was finally over.

"Advanced spirit recovery pills... how many are left?" Lin Ye asked weakly.

Zhao Wuji tremblingly took out the last nine bottles. "Only these are left... fifty bottles were consumed in the battle just now."

"Give them all to Shi Potian."

Shi Potian was fed the nine bottles of Medicinal Pills, and his health began to recover slowly, but his injuries were too severe for him to wake up for a while.

Lin Ye also took a few spirit recovery pills himself, barely recovering a sliver of Divine Power.

He walked over to the corpse of the Earth Dragon Scorpion King and began to collect the loot.

[Scorpion King Poison Stinger (Epic)]

[Type: Artifact Refining Materials / Special Components]

[Description: The tail stinger of the Earth Dragon Scorpion King, containing potent poison and a trace of thin Dragon blood power.]

[Attributes: Attack +1,200, Toxicity +500]

[Effects: 1. Can be used to refine Epic-grade poison-type weapons; 2. Can be used as an additional component for Epic-grade equipment, bestowing the 'Highly Toxic' special effect; 3. Can obtain 'Dragon Blood Essence (Thin)' after refining.]

[Dimensions: Five feet three inches long, the base is as thick as a child's arm, and the tip is as thin as a steel needle.]

[Earth Dragon Scale Armor (Fine) x30]

[Type: Forging Materials / Armor Materials]

[Description: The hardest scales from the Earth Dragon Scorpion King's carapace, each the size of a palm.]

[Attributes: Defense +180, Earth Resistance +30%]

[Effects: Can be used to forge Fine-grade heavy armor, or to repair Epic-grade armor.]

[Integrity: Good (Can be used for direct forging)]

[earth vein core (Rare)]

[Type: Heaven and Earth Wonder / Formation Core]

[Description: The earth vein energy core condensed within the Earth Dragon Scorpion King's body, containing massive Earth-type Spiritual Qi.]

[Attributes: Earth-type Spiritual Qi +1,000]

[Effects: 1. Can serve as the core energy source for large Earth-type Formations; 2. Can greatly increase Earth-type Cultivation Technique cultivation after refinement; 3. Can be added when forging Earth-type Magic Treasures to increase quality.]

[Note: This object is connected to the earth vein of the Primal Ancient Mine; wearing it for a long time allows for slow perception of the earth vein's direction.]

[Earth Spirit Crystal Soul (Fine) x5]

[Type: Cultivation Resources / Artifact Refining Materials]

[Description: Crystals formed by the high condensation of Earth-type Spiritual Qi, with quality higher than ordinary Earth Spirit Crystals.]

[Attributes: Earth-type Spiritual Qi +300]

[Effects: 1. Absorbing directly can increase the cultivation speed of Earth-type Cultivation Techniques; 2. A high-quality material for refining Earth-type Medicinal Pills or Magic Treasures.]

These spoils were priceless, especially the Epic-grade Scorpion King Poison Stinger and the Rare-grade earth vein core, which would be enough to trigger battles among major factions if they were on the outside.

But at this moment, Lin Ye just calmly put them away.

What he was more concerned about was something else.

Below the Earth Dragon Scorpion King's corpse, at the edge of the magma lake, there was a hidden cave entrance. The entrance had been covered by the Earth Dragon Scorpion King's nest and was usually hard to discover.

Lin Ye walked over and looked into the cave.

The entrance was not large, only allowing one person to pass through. Inside was a downward staircase, and at the end of the staircase, a faint blue light was vaguely visible.

That light... was identical to the light emitted by the stone tablet earlier.

"Leader, this is..." Qin Ruoxue walked over with difficulty.

"The thing the Earth Dragon Scorpion King was guarding." Lin Ye said in a low voice. "It wasn't just guarding the primordial life stone mine; it was guarding this."

He looked at the unconscious Shi Potian, and then at the others who were in a terrible state.

"Our current state is not suitable for further exploration." Lin Ye made a decision. "Let's leave here first and return after we have recovered."

"But..." Qin Ruoxue looked at the cave entrance. "There might be key secrets inside."

"No matter how important the secrets are, they are not as important as human lives." Lin Ye shook his head. "Besides, this cave entrance is here; it won't run away. When we are ready, we can come back anytime."

He turned to look at the exit on the other side of the magma lake. "Now, let's leave the Ancient Mine first."

The squad supported each other as they walked toward the exit.

Lin Ye walked at the back and looked back at the cave entrance one last time.

The faint blue light flickered in the darkness, as if calling out, and yet as if warning.

He had a strong premonition: the things buried inside would reveal part of the truth about the Primal Ancient Mine, and even this game world.

But now, it was not the time.

Lin Ye turned around and caught up with the team.

And not long after they left, the faint blue light at the cave entrance suddenly flared up.

Within the light, a line of ancient text vaguely emerged:

"Latecomers, you have passed the first trial."

"When you are ready and return, the true trial will begin."

"Fragments of the Ancient Covenant await a qualified successor..."

The light flickered a few times and slowly dissipated.

The cave returned to silence, with only the dark red light of the magma lake and the gradually cooling corpse of the Earth Dragon Scorpion King.

And, that secret buried deep underground.