Chapter 63 Lin Ye ventures alone into the abyss, monsters instantly become ATMs

When Po Jun said the words "I'll go," the air on the entire third floor froze.

Guild Master Li Tianci looked at Po Jun, Zhao Wuji looked at Po Jun, and even Su Qinghan looked at Po Jun. A former vice president of the Heavenly Temple who had joined the Lack-of-Virtue Squad less than twenty-four hours ago was volunteering to tank the Lord of Destruction's ten-second Domain of Destruction. Anyone would be stunned by this.

Lin Ye, however, didn't look surprised, just asking, "Have you thought it through?"

Po Jun nodded: "Thought it through. The ten seconds of invincibility from Indomitable Will is the only thing I have to offer. My equipment isn't as good as yours, my damage output isn't as good as yours, and my operations aren't as good as yours. But when it comes to tanking damage, there aren't many people in the whole server better than me."

This wasn't a lie. Po Jun was a Knight class player, one of the top three defensive knights on the entire server. When the Heavenly Temple was still around, he was Qin Wentian's personal meat shield. He was at the front in guild wars, at the front in dungeons, and at the front in wild PKs. His HP, defense, and damage reduction stats were all built for extreme tankiness. He could forgo output, he could forgo speed, but his HP had to be maxed out.

Guild Master Li Tianci hesitated for a moment, then spoke: "Po Jun, you've only been with Lin Ye for a day. There's no need to risk your life."

Po Jun glanced at him: "Guild Master Li, how long I've been with Brother Ye doesn't matter. What matters is that right now, I'm the only one who can tank the Lord of Destruction's ten seconds. If I don't go, no one goes. If no one goes, Dawn City is gone. If Dawn City is gone, the respawn points for all players on the server are gone. Everyone will die then."

He paused, his voice calm: "I'm not risking my life. I'm doing what I should do."

Zhao Wuji was silent for a few seconds, then patted Po Jun on the shoulder: "Brother, the Heavenly Temple used to be our rival, and I've said a lot of nasty things to you. Today, I take them back."

Po Jun shook his head: "No need to take them back. The Heavenly Temple did do a lot of rotten things before. I followed Qin Wentian, so I had a part in those things too. If I can make up for even a little bit today, that's something."

Lin Ye stood up: "Alright, enough with the dramatics. Po Jun tanks for ten seconds, I stack the layers. If I can't stack to fifty layers within ten seconds, we both die. If I hit it, the Lord of Destruction dies."

He looked at Su Qinghan: "Qinghan, your task is to keep his HP up before Po Jun triggers Indomitable Will. The Domain of Destruction deals percentage-based damage, but your Healing can pull his HP bar back up. No need to heal him to full, just ensure he doesn't die before the invincibility triggers."

Su Qinghan nodded: "Understood."

Lin Ye looked at Fatty Wang again: "Fatty, your task is the simplest. Wait on the city wall. Once I kill the Lord of Destruction, the dropped materials will definitely pile up like a mountain. You're responsible for picking them up."

Fatty Wang was stunned: "Brother, you're letting me watch from the sidelines?"

"What else? Can you tank or deal damage if you go up there? Your only value is your 'Lucky Emperor' constitution. When I kill the BOSS, you pick up the materials. You pick up twice as many materials as anyone else. That's your value."

Fatty Wang's mouth twitched, but he eventually nodded. Because Lin Ye was right. His combat power was practically zero, but his 'Lucky Emperor' constitution was one-of-a-kind on the server. For the same BOSS, others would pick up ten items, he could pick up twenty. Others would pick up one artifact, he could pick up two. This was the reason he could stand firm in the Lack-of-Virtue Squad.

Po Jun asked: "When do we set off?"

Lin Ye looked at the black tide outside the window: "Now."

The two walked down to the third floor, passing through the material supermarket on the first floor. The supermarket was packed with players, all there to buy repair materials. Solo players, members of small guilds, and even logistics staff from several large guilds were all crowding in front of the shelves, grabbing materials. Seeing Lin Ye come down, everyone automatically cleared a path.

"Brother Ye." A solo player shouted.

Lin Ye turned to look at him.

"Good luck."

The solo player scratched his head, a bit embarrassed: "My equipment is all shattered, my level dropped by three, and I only have a white-board sword left. I wanted to go with you, but I know I'd just be sending myself to death if I went. So I won't go. But I'll be watching on the city wall. Watching you take down the Lord of Destruction."

Lin Ye looked at him, then smiled.

"Alright. You watch. Once I've fleeced the Lord of Destruction bald, I'll share a portion of the materials with you."

The solo player's eyes lit up: "Really?"

"Really. When has Ye the Wicked ever gone back on his word?"

The entire supermarket of players laughed. Someone shouted "Brother Ye is awesome," someone shouted "Crush the Abyss," and someone shouted "Let the Lord of Destruction know who the real daddy is." Lin Ye waved his hand and led Po Jun out of the supermarket entrance.

Outside the door, Su Qinghan was already waiting. She had changed her equipment, not into her usual Holy Priest set, but into a specialized set for extreme Healing. Her weapon was the SS-rank artifact Goddess of Life's Blessing, her accessories were a legendary Healing bonus set, and she had even popped all her potions. Her task was simple: keep Po Jun's HP bar up within the Domain of Destruction.

Lin Ye looked at her: "Ready?"

Su Qinghan nodded: "Ready."

"Let's go."

The three walked out of the Dawn City gate.

Outside the gate was the Abyss.

The black tide was slowly advancing. The Abyss Minions at the very front were already less than three hundred meters from the city gate. Behind them were dense crowds of Abyss Elites, and further back were the massive Abyss Commanders. And at the very rear of the black tide, the Lord of Destruction stood there, his three-meter-tall body like a black iron tower, dragging his giant sword on the ground, carving out a deep trench.

Lin Ye took a deep breath, then took the first step.

As soon as his right foot stepped out of the city gate, the Mass Decay Domain instantly activated. A dark purple ring of light spread out from under his feet, with a radius of fifty meters. All Abyss Minions within the range of the ring had a debuff icon pop up above their heads. Perpetual Energy Level Decay, one layer, two layers, three layers, ten layers. The Abyss Minions' HP dropped like a leaking bucket, falling at a speed visible to the naked eye. Three seconds, the first Abyss Minion fell. Five seconds, the first batch of charging Abyss Minions all fell.

Players across the server crouched on the city wall, watching this scene, collectively silent.

[world channel]

[Player "Wocao Wuqing": One-shot? Really one-shot?]

[Player "Brick-Moving Expert": It's not one-shot, it's three seconds. Brother Ye's Decay Domain covers fifty meters, Abyss Minions get the debuff as soon as they enter the circle. One layer deducts one percent, stacking to ten layers means ten percent per second. The Abyss Minions' HP simply can't withstand it.]

[Player "Invincible Sword God": Wait, look at the Abyss Elites!]

Abyss Elites were much tougher than minions. Their HP was five times that of the minions, and their corrosion resistance was higher too. Lin Ye's Decay Domain was still effective against them, but the HP drop rate was significantly slower. Stacking to ten layers, ten percent per second, it would take ten seconds for one Abyss Elite to fall. But there wasn't just one Abyss Elite; there were dozens. They swarmed from all directions, the corrosion light on their claws flickering; as long as they hit Lin Ye once, the corrosion effect would stack.

Lin Ye didn't give them the chance to land a hit.

He took a step forward, and the effect of the Decay Domain suddenly changed. In the original dark purple ring, a layer of pale gold light appeared. Purification Form, activated. The corrosion effect of the Abyss Monsters was essentially the release of Abyss energy. And Lin Ye's Purification Form was the perfect counter to Abyss energy. As the purification light swept over, the corrosion light on the Abyss Elites instantly dimmed by half. Their attack power, defense, and speed were all weakened.

[Combat Log]

[Abyss Elite affected by Decay Debuff, all stats reduced by 10%.]

[Abyss Elite affected by Purification effect, corrosion effect reduced by 50%.]

[The Abyss Elite's corrosion effect cannot deal full damage to you.]

Lin Ye glanced at the combat log, the corner of his mouth curling into a wicked smile. Sure enough, his Talent had a special effect against Abyss Monsters. The corrosion effect was suppressed by the Purification Form, and the original five percent HP deduction per second was now only two point five percent. This amount of damage could be healed back by Su Qinghan with a single Healing spell.

"Qinghan, keep Po Jun healed. I'm going to clear the field."

Su Qinghan nodded, waved her staff, and a golden light of Healing landed on Po Jun. Po Jun's HP bar was steadily maintained at over eighty percent.

Lin Ye walked alone toward the swarm of Abyss Monsters.

His Decay Domain was fully open, the dark purple ring covering the entire field. Abyss Minions fell as soon as they entered the circle, falling in droves like cut wheat. The Abyss Elites lasted a bit longer, but not much longer. With ten layers of debuff stacked, ten percent damage per second, they were guaranteed to die in ten seconds. Moreover, Lin Ye's Talent had a hidden effect: killing a target with a debuff granted a temporary stat boost. Every time he killed an Abyss Monster, his own stats rose a notch. After killing a dozen Abyss Minions, his attack power had already doubled. After killing seven or eight Abyss Elites, his defense had increased fivefold.

On the city wall, players across the server watched Lin Ye advancing like a bulldozer through the swarm of Abyss Monsters, collectively dumbfounded.

[world channel]

[Player "Wocao Wuqing": Brother Ye's stats are rising! He gets stronger the more he kills!]

[Player "Data Emperor": I checked the backend data. Every time Brother Ye kills an Abyss Monster, all stats increase by one percent. He's killed at least fifty now; his stats have already multiplied several times!]

[Player "Brick-Moving Expert": Doesn't that mean as long as there are enough Abyss Monsters, Brother Ye can become infinitely strong?]

[Player "Milk Tea Without Sugar": Infinite strength is an exaggeration. The stat boost should have a cap. But even with a cap, the current Brother Ye is already higher than the Lord of Destruction.]

[Player "Yes Little Follower": Look at the Abyss materials! The ground is full of Abyss materials!]

Abyss Minions fell and dropped Abyss Crystals. Abyss Elites fell and dropped Epic-grade Abyss Crystals. Abyss Commanders fell and dropped Legendary-grade Abyss Cores. These materials were the core items for crafting Abyss equipment; players across the server usually couldn't even drop one after grinding dungeons for a day. And now? The ground was covered in a layer. Purple Abyss Crystals, golden Epic Crystals, orange Legendary Cores, densely scattered across the black land, like a paved gem road.

Fatty Wang crouched on the city wall, his eyes wide.

"Brother! Materials! So many materials!"

Lin Ye didn't even look back: "What's the rush? We've barely started. Wait until I've fleeced the Lord of Destruction; the dropped materials will pile up like a mountain."

He continued to walk forward. The Abyss Minions no longer dared to approach. Those emotionless Abyss Monsters showed hesitation for the first time. They hovered at the edge of the Decay Domain, wanting to charge in, but didn't dare. Because the companions who charged in had all fallen. Not one could walk out alive.

Lin Ye looked at those hesitant Abyss Minions and smiled.

"Don't dare to come in? Then I'll go out."

He actively walked toward the swarm of Abyss Monsters. With every step he took, the Decay Domain pushed forward another step. The Abyss Monsters covered by the domain had debuff icons pop up on their heads in unison. One layer, two layers, three layers, ten layers. Fall. One layer, two layers, three layers, ten layers. Fall again. Lin Ye alone chased after hundreds of Abyss Monsters. The black tide was being forced back step by step by him alone.

On the city wall, Li Tianci watched this scene, his mouth open wide enough to fit an egg.

"I, motherf***er, led a guild alliance of tens of thousands, and we didn't even make it five hundred meters out of the city gate. He, alone, is chasing and killing Abyss Monsters."

Zhao Wuji smiled bitterly: "This is the gap. The gap between us and him isn't equipment, it isn't level, it's Talent. His Decay Talent is a dimensional strike against Abyss Monsters."

Liu Ruyan said softly: "It's not a dimensional strike. It's that he himself is the nemesis of the Abyss. The Decay Talent and Abyss energy are of the same origin, but he chose the Purification Form. He used the same origin energy in the opposite direction."

Li Tianci was stunned: "What does that mean?"

Liu Ruyan shook her head: "I can't explain it clearly either. But my intuition tells me that Lin Ye's Talent wasn't given to him by the game. It was the game that chose him."

The city wall was silent for a few seconds.

By now, Lin Ye had cleared all the Abyss Monsters outside the city gate. From the city gate to the edge of the black tide, a distance of five hundred meters, was covered with Abyss materials. Purple, golden, orange, shining in the sunlight. He stood at the end of that gem road, looking up at the Lord of Destruction in the distance.

The Lord of Destruction was also looking at him.

The three-meter-tall Abyss Councilor had purple flames burning in its eyes. It stared at Lin Ye, the giant sword in its hand slowly lifting.

Then it spoke.

"Successor of the Decay Talent. You have finally come."

Lin Ye narrowed his eyes. The Lord of Destruction recognized his Talent. And it said successor. Not holder, but successor. This meant that before him, others had possessed the Decay Talent.

"You recognize my Talent?"

The Lord of Destruction let out a low rumble, as if it were laughing.

"Of course I recognize it. Ten thousand years ago, it was the first successor of the Decay Talent who sealed the Abyss Council at the bottom of the game. Ten thousand years later, the second successor has appeared. Pity, you are too weak. Your Talent hasn't even unlocked its ultimate form; what do you have to fight me with?"

Lin Ye's mouth curled into a wicked smile.

"The successor from ten thousand years ago could seal you, so the successor from ten thousand years later can seal you again. As for the Talent form, I'll just unlock it for you to see."

He raised his right hand, and the light of the Decay Domain suddenly surged. Within the dark purple ring, the pale gold purification light grew brighter and brighter. The two kinds of light intertwined, forming a massive vortex.

The purple flames in the Lord of Destruction's eyes flickered.

"Dual-form fusion? You actually unlocked the dual form at the basic stage?"

Lin Ye didn't answer. He answered with his actions. The vortex exploded, and the dark purple and pale gold light instantly enveloped the entire battlefield. The Abyss Monsters covered by the light had the debuff icons on their heads jump directly from ten layers to fifty layers. Their HP instantly hit rock bottom, like a pond drained of water, and they fell in droves.

The Lord of Destruction took a step back.

For the first time in ten thousand years, one of the three commanders of the Abyss Council took a step back.