145: The Gift of the Poison God
Under the intense pain and fury, Aqvelia completely abandoned her chanting. Her eyes, which were originally as beautiful as sapphires, were now stained crimson by maddening hatred!
[Tidal Wrath]!
She raised her hands high. The entire poisonous pool—no, the entire underground cavern—began to tremble violently!
"Rumble—!"
The endless lake water, as if pulled by some invisible force, shot up into the sky, gathering beneath the cavern's dome to form a terrifying, sky-obscuring giant wave!
This giant wave was no longer pure water elemental energy; its color was murky and lethal, mixed with the dark green of the concentrated abyss plague and the ethereal blue of Aqvelia's own power, emanating a contradictory aura that was both sacred and defiled.
"She is going all out! Everyone, activate damage reduction! Prepare to withstand it!" Lin Mo's roar echoed throughout the venue.
He didn't need to speak; everyone already felt the terrifying pressure capable of destroying everything.
The Paladins firmly embedded their giant shields, engraved with holy emblems, into the ground before them. The light of skills like [Holy Bulwark] and [Shield of Faith] enveloped the entire team. Warriors activated [Burning the Boats], Priests chanted [Sanctuary of Holy Light], and Druids summoned resilient [Nature Barriers].
In an instant, dozens of skill lights from different classes, representing the strongest defensive capabilities, layered and intertwined, forming an impregnable defensive line.
"For your blasphemy... perish with me!"
Aqvelia uttered her final curse, and the apocalyptic giant wave suspended in the sky finally crashed down!
Boom—!
A colossal sound, impossible to describe, exploded next to everyone's ears; many players even experienced momentary deafness.
The violent tide, containing the two extreme forces of Deadly Poison and holiness, instantly overwhelmed the entire team in a devastating manner.
-185,410! (Absorbed)
-201,445! (Blocked)
-254,110!
A series of astonishing damage numbers appeared above the heads of the frontline tank players.
Even with all damage reduction skills activated, this single blow still wiped out nearly half of their health! Furthermore, some squishy damage dealers positioned farther back who didn't have time to activate Life-saving skills were instantly killed, turning into white light.
However, this world-destroying strike also caused a fatal backlash against Aqvelia herself!
Her ultimate skill drew upon the power of the entire lake. And this lake had been completely transformed by the concentrated abyss plague!
Every drop of water she summoned became a sharp blade aimed at herself!
-3,541,874!
-3,887,410!
Two green poison damage numbers, more terrifying than the total damage sustained by the team, slowly floated up above her head.
"Pfft—!"
Aqvelia suddenly spat out a mouthful of blue blood. The light surrounding her dimmed at a visible speed, and her aura instantly became extremely weak.
[System Notification: Sea Singer Aquilea has suffered a backlash from the plague power she summoned and has entered the [Severe Weakness] state. All attributes are reduced by 80%, and all damage taken is increased by 200%, lasting for 1 minute!]
"Now is the time!"
This was the opportunity Lin Mo had been waiting for!
"Everyone who is still alive, focus fire and kill her instantly!"
No words were needed; the eyes of the players who survived the giant wave were burning with the flames of vengeance. They poured all their fury onto the BOSS, who was now completely defenseless.
This time, the engagement could not even be called a battle; it was a unilateral slaughter.
In the [Severe Weakness] state, Aqvelia's health, which was as high as 150 million, seemed incredibly fragile.
Just twenty seconds later.
Accompanied by a mournful cry filled with unwillingness and sorrow, the once noble and beautiful Sea Singer Aquilea's body shattered piece by piece, finally dissolving into a sky full of blue light particles, vanishing into the poisonous pool that had been thoroughly contaminated by both herself and Lin Mo.
[System Announcement: Congratulations to the player team for successfully killing the Four Elements Corridor Leader, Sea Singer Aquilea! The Water Element Trial has been passed!]
[System Notification: You have obtained "tear of the tide"!]
"Hoo... it's finally... over..."
Seeing the BOSS fall, everyone let out a long sigh of relief, and many simply collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath.
Although the battle was greatly shortened due to Lin Mo's heaven-defying manipulation, its perilous nature far surpassed the previous Fire Element Trial. The feeling of constantly testing the brink of a team wipe was truly too thrilling.
"Healers, start reviving. Everyone else, rest in place for five minutes."
Lin Mo commanded methodically, then stepped toward the spot where the BOSS had vanished.
There, a pile of loot, radiating an enticing glow, lay quietly.
The drops this time were even more generous than the Lava Lord's!
There were four pieces of Dark Gold grade equipment, one skill book, and a crystal-clear blue gem resembling a tear.
[Siren's Aria Robe] (Cloth Armor / Robe / Dark Gold Grade)
Equipment Requirement: Intelligence 880, Spirit 700
Attributes: Defense +950, Intelligence +200, Spirit +150, Healer Effect +25%
Special Effect [Water Affinity]: When casting Water or Healer spells, Mana consumption is reduced by 15%, and there is a chance to reset the cooldown of one basic Healer skill.
[Bulwark of the Tidal Guardian] (Shield / Dark Gold Grade)
Equipment Requirement: Constitution 900
Attributes: Block Rate +20%, Defense +2550, Constitution +180, Maximum Life +10%
Special Effect [Tidal Power]: After a successful block, your next Shield Bash will deal additional Water elemental damage and briefly slow the target.
[Deep Sea Stealth Dagger] (Dagger / One-Handed / Dark Gold Grade)
Equipment Requirement: Agility 950
Attributes: Attack +1550, Agility +170, Critical Hit Rate +10%
Special Effect [Poisoned]: Attacks have a chance to inflict poison on the target, lasting 10 seconds. (This poison effect can stack with the player's own poison)
[Purification Ring] (Ring / Dark Gold Grade)
Equipment Requirement: All Attributes 500
Attributes: All Attributes +50, All Status Resistance +15%
Special Effect [Purification]: Active skill, removes one negative effect from the user. Cooldown 5 minutes.
All four pieces of equipment were top-tier! Especially the Healer robe and the shield, which were practically best-in-slot gear for Priests and Tanks! And the poisoned dagger made all the Rogues green with envy.
[Skill Book: Water Prison]
Type: Crowd Control Skill
Learning Requirements: Mage, Priest
Effect: Summons a cage made of Water elements in a designated area, trapping the target for 5 seconds. If the target attempts to break through by force, they will receive high Water elemental damage.
A powerful single-target hard control skill! It holds strategic significance in both PVP and PVE.
And the final gem made Lin Mo's breathing hitch slightly.
[tear of the tide] (legendary grade / Special Item)
Item Description: The last tear shed by Sea Singer Aquilea in the contaminated holy land, containing the purest Rule Power of "Purification" and "Tide."
Effect One: Can be used to forge legendary grade equipment or weapons.
Effect Two: ??? (Requires special conditions to unlock)
legendary grade forging material!
This was absolutely the rarest and most top-tier item in the entire game right now!
Lin Mo unhesitatingly pocketed the [tear of the tide], then posted the attributes of the other equipment and skill book in the team channel.
Another fierce DKP auction ensued.
In the end, Summer Rain successfully acquired the [Siren's Aria Robe], Iron Wall bid for the [Bulwark of the Tidal Guardian], and the poisoned dagger was won by an ace Assassin from Shadowless Hall.
The skill book and ring were sweepingly acquired by the wealthy Oracle Guild.
With the distribution completed, the team's atmosphere reached a climax again. Having successfully cleared two major trials and harvested such generous rewards, everyone's faces were filled with excitement and satisfaction.
"Poison God... next... should we go to the Wind Element or the Earth Element?" a player from the Oracle Guild asked cautiously.
Everyone's gaze focused on Lin Mo once more.
Lin Mo glanced at Luo Li nearby and noticed she was looking at him with an extremely complex expression—one that held shock, confusion, apprehension, and even a hint of... scrutiny.
He withdrew his gaze and said lightly:
"No rush, let's rest first. Once everyone has recovered to their optimal state, we'll... go meet the Wind Lord."
His tone was calm, yet carried a powerful strength that reassured everyone.
After these two battles, everyone shared a consensus—as long as this man was present, the so-called "official guide" was no longer important.
Because he was the strongest guide!