184: Chapter 184 The Evil God of Life was stunned and took the initiative to ask for...

Deep within the valley, it was not the dark, gloomy cave they had expected, but a relatively open, flat area.

However, standing in the center of this flat area was a behemoth that occupied almost their entire field of vision.

It was a towering ancient tree, yet it was completely different from ordinary trees.

Its trunk was as thick as the foundation of a mountain, and its bark was a deep, brownish-black color, covered in twisted patterns that resembled pained human faces.

Countless thick vines coiled around it like giant pythons, and the branches and leaves were so lush they blocked out the sky. Every leaf shimmered with an ominous, dark green luster, exuding an Aura of life so thick it was almost tangible.

Yet, mixed into this Aura of life was a heart-palpitating decay and deathly stillness.

Even more striking was the faint, massive face that emerged from the center of the giant trunk—old, wooden, yet bearing endless majesty.

At that moment, the giant mouth slowly opened and closed, emitting a low roar like the grinding of ten thousand trees, carrying a hint of obvious mockery:

"Tiny creatures... are you yet more fools who have come to pay audience to the deity, delusional enough to challenge Divine Might?"

The voice rolled out, shaking the air until it hummed.

"With such weak Auras, you dare to set foot in the Forbidden Domain of Life? Kneel and kowtow; this is the only redemption for your sins of blasphemy!"

[Name: Life Devourer · Nether Demon Treant · Tier 8 World Lord BOSS]

Its massive pressure, like a tangible mountain, crushed down toward the three of them. However, it did not initiate an attack, merely looking down coldly with eyes formed from twisted branches at the "ants" below.

Elder Yuan Feng immediately stepped forward, his expression grave as he whispered: "This BOSS is extremely special. It will not actively attack intruders, but as long as it receives any form of damage, it will immediately launch a terrifying, relentless counterattack!"

He added quickly, his eyes lingering with fear:

"What's more troublesome is that it is almost impossible to kill! Its life recovery ability is monstrous; it can ignore instant-death effects and also possesses extremely high damage reduction!"

"Last time, our team attacked it with full force for half a day, and its HP barely dropped. Instead, we were pushed to the brink of death by its counterattacks and were ultimately forced to retreat."

The Wasteland Guardian picked his ear, tilted his head to look at Lu Chen beside him, and said lazily: "Tsk, sounds pretty intimidating, kid. What do you think?"

A smirk curled at the corners of Lu Chen's mouth. Golden light flickered in his sharp eyes as the [Eye of the Ringed Heavens] had already thoroughly inspected the behemoth before him from the inside out.

"Unbeatable recovery? Ignores instant kills? Damage reduction?"

He shook his head slightly, his tone playful:

"It's just an illusion. Its roots have long since completely connected with the core of this mountain range's ley lines, and every inch of land is providing it with nearly infinite life energy."

"Attacking it is equivalent to attacking the entire mountain range, which naturally makes its recovery seem astonishing. As for the damage reduction and immunity to death... they are just natural shields formed by ley line energy and environmental rule interference."

"Simply put, this BOSS is just a 'land-bound spirit' acting like a big shot while using a 'power bank'."

"Heh heh, good eye, kid!"

The Wasteland Guardian grinned: "Then what are we waiting for? Let's tear down its charging station and see how it acts cocky then!"

The two looked at each other and smiled, a tacit understanding forming between them.

The Wasteland Guardian's eyes hardened, and his lazy demeanor vanished instantly, replaced by a wild, domineering Aura that shot into the sky. He lifted his right foot, seemingly casually, but it was concentrated with a terrifying offensive force!

"Get up for me!"

The Wasteland Guardian suddenly flashed to the bottom of the BOSS and kicked it heavily in the chin.

Boom!

The entire valley shook and quaked!

There were no dazzling skill lights, but a formless yet immensely powerful force, like a hidden dragon emerging from an abyss, burst forth violently!

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Under this terrifying shock force, the BOSS's countless roots that were deeply embedded in the earth and tightly connected to the ley lines were actually snapped and torn apart on a massive scale!

"Wuu-ao!"

On the BOSS's massive wooden face, for the first time, an anthropomorphic look of shock and pain appeared, and it let out a deafening roar.

Because its massive body had lost the instantaneous support of the ley line energy, it involuntarily "bounced" slightly upward, losing its balance for a split second!

Now is the time!

Lu Chen moved!

His figure was like a ghost; [Divine Concealment] followed by [Teleportation], leaving a faint afterimage in place, while his real body had already appeared directly in front of the BOSS's massive trunk, at a distance of almost face-to-face.

"Big size? Fast recovery?"

Lu Chen's eyes were cold. He lifted his right hand slightly, palm facing upward, as if holding up a world.

"Then try and see if you can withstand the feast of ice-bursts!"

Hum!

[Summon · Ice-Burst Magic-Horned Ant Legion]!

A full million of them!

Like a blue tide, or a frost storm sweeping across the world, a million evolved Ice-Burst Magic-Horned Ants instantly surged out. Their mouthparts shimmered with a deep blue cold light, and cold Soul fire flickered in their compound eyes!

They did not pounce on various parts of the trunk, but under Lu Chen's monstrously precise Mental Energy control, like a well-trained army, the million-strong ant swarm converged into a blue torrent and launched their attack simultaneously.

Pfft, pfft, pfft!

A piercing sound, dense enough to make one's scalp tingle, rang out!

The Ice-Burst Magic-Horned Ant's A-rank talent, Piercing Ability, came with 6% absolute true damage!

A single 6% true damage might only be a scratch for a BOSS with HP as thick as a mountain.

But when this effect was multiplied by one million, and all damage perfectly stacked, the quantitative change triggered a terrifying qualitative change!

"No... impossible..."

The BOSS's huge eyes were filled with confusion and disbelief, and its roar came to an abrupt end.

The next moment.

Boom!

Like a lit powder keg, or a mountain Peak detonated from within, the BOSS's incomparably massive trunk exploded with a heaven-shaking, earth-shattering roar!

Countless wood fragments, ice chunks, and sap poured down like a rainstorm, covering the entire valley.

The dust settled.

That arrogant, supposedly unkillable Tier 8 World Lord BOSS had already vanished, leaving behind only a huge deep pit and ice crystal dust drifting in the sky.

Instant kill!

A true instant kill!

From the Wasteland Guardian stomping to break the roots to Lu Chen summoning a million Ice-Burst Ants for the instant kill, the entire process was smooth and fluid, happening in the blink of an eye!

Yuan Feng's mouth hung open as he stared blankly at the empty flat ground, then looked at Lu Chen and the Wasteland Guardian, who looked as relaxed as if they had just swatted a mosquito. His mind went blank.

The monster he had taken eight Tier 8 Peak experts to fight for half a day to no avail last time... was just... gone?

"Done and dusted!"

The Wasteland Guardian clapped his hands and returned to his lazy appearance, as if that earth-shattering kick hadn't been delivered by him.

Lu Chen landed slowly, his breathing steady, and looked toward the deepest part of the valley.

There, a vortex emitted a soft yet eerie green light; that was the entrance to the hidden map of the Gods Game!

Yuan Feng recovered from the shock: "I won't participate in this Gods Game!"

He knew that the stage inside did not belong to him.

The Wasteland Guardian and Lu Chen nodded and stepped into the green vortex side by side.

A flash of light, and the scene changed.

Standing here was a ten-meter-tall emerald green stone statue.

The stone statue depicted a female deity with a compassionate and holy face, a gentle smile at the corners of her mouth, and arms spread wide, as if to embrace all living beings and bestow life and hope.

Rich and pure life energy flowed around her body, making one unable to help but feel a sense of closeness and trust.

"Lost children..."

A gentle, kind voice, like a mother whispering, sounded directly in the minds of Lu Chen and the Wasteland Guardian, originating from the emerald stone statue.

"Welcome to the Hall of Life. I am the deity who holds the authority of Life, sowing the light of hope and resurrection here. Lay down your defenses and hostility, and accept the baptism of life; I will guide you toward eternity..."

The light of the Goddess of Life statue became even softer, and the seductive Divine voice was like a warm current, attempting to permeate their minds.

However.

"Alright, stop acting."

An impatient voice rudely interrupted the kind Divine voice.

Lu Chen crossed his arms, his face full of undisguised contempt. He raised a finger and pointed at the goddess statue: "It's one thing to fool others, but you want to fool us? You should put away this hypocritical trick!"

"With a body full of nauseating, decaying Death Qi, yet you insist on pretending to be a loving mother of life. Don't you feel disgusted yourself?"

"Just start your God's Play, Evil God of Life!"

"..."

The space fell into a deathly silence.

The kind and gentle smile on the emerald stone statue's face instantly froze, as if a crack had appeared on fine porcelain.

A flash of astonishment and disbelief seemed to pass through those stone-carved eyes.

How many years had it been? Of all the creatures that had broken in here, which one hadn't been first confused, then pious, and finally toyed to death in the God's Play under Her carefully disguised holy posture?

This kid... how dare he?

How did he see through it at a glance?

Did the previous survivors leak it?

"Hmph!"

The kind Divine voice vanished, replaced by a cold, indifferent, and grand voice that carried a hint of annoyance at having its disguise punctured. It used an ancient, obscure Divine language that could nonetheless be directly understood:

"Ignorant and arrogant ants... since you insist on seeking death, this deity will grant your wish!"

"To participate in this deity's game, you must wager your life, dance on the tightrope of hope and despair, and feel the most extreme trembling of life..."

It began to chant the long, seductive prologue of the God's Play rules, attempting to create an atmosphere of fear and solemnity.

"Don't bother chanting."

Lu Chen interrupted again. He extended his index finger and pointed to the dome: "I said, stop with all that nonsense."

He paused, and said clearly, word for word: "Let's go straight to—the highest difficulty God's Play!"

"..."

The Evil God of Life's voice stuttered again.

The emerald stone statue seemed to sway slightly.

Highest difficulty?

Does this kid know what he is saying?

The Hell-difficulty God's Play is a desperate situation where even Tier 9 legendary powerhouses have a huge risk of falling!

He, a Tier 7... actually requested it voluntarily?

"You... what did you say?"

The Evil God of Life's voice carried a hint of pitch change due to extreme surprise.

Lu Chen sighed, as if annoyed by the other's hearing. He raised his voice, his tone brooking no doubt: "I said! Let's! Have! The! Highest! Difficulty! God's! Play!"

"..."

The temple was once again deathly silent.

The Evil God of Life was completely bewildered.

Having lived for countless years and toyed with countless lives, this was the first time It had encountered such a guy who didn't play by the rules, was so arrogant, and was so... eager to seek death!

Immediately, a surge of rage at being severely slighted and offended welled up in its heart.

"Good! Very good! Little brat!"

The Evil God of Life's voice became sharp and malicious, and the surrounding green light instantly turned dark and eerie.

"You will pay the most painful price for your arrogance and ignorance! Your life will become the most brilliant... wailing embellishment of my hall!"

"Hell-difficulty God's Play—[Ruins of Life]—Initiated!"

Hum!

The entire space twisted and changed violently, endless darkness and eerie green light intertwining to completely swallow the figures of Lu Chen and the Wasteland Guardian.

Watching the two who had disappeared into the God's Play, a cruel and gleeful grin appeared on the Evil God of Life's face:

"Little brats seeking death, prepare to turn into dust in the deepest despair of life!"