84: The secret chamber deep within the temple

The generous experience gained from killing the first BOSS caused Lin Mo's experience bar to shoot up significantly, leaving him only a sliver away from Level 36.

"Let's rest for a moment. I'll fill up this last bit of experience and put on the set first," Lin Mo told the two of them.

"Good idea." Iron Wall and Summer Rain both agreed.

Although the recent BOSS fight was relatively safe, it had taken a huge toll on them. Especially Iron Wall, whose equipment durability had dropped significantly.

While Lin Mo went to clear out the newly spawned nearby mobs, Iron Wall and Summer Rain also sat down to eat, drink, repair their gear, and recover their status.

Less than ten minutes later, accompanied by a flash of golden light, Lin Mo successfully reached Level 36.

He didn't hesitate at all. He immediately opened his backpack and replaced his original gear piece by piece with the five components of the rock snake set, which emitted a faint green glow.

The moment the final piece, the rock snake helmet, was equipped, a powerful sense of strength instantly spread throughout Lin Mo's body!

[System: You have equipped the complete 'rock snake set' (5/5). Set attributes activated!]

Lin Mo immediately opened his attribute panel to check.

[Character: Lin Mo] Level: 36 Class: Shadow of Deadly Poison Life: 4850 Mana: 3200 Strength: 150 Agility: 550 (+150) Stamina: 240 (+50) Spirit: 160 (Values in parentheses are equipment bonuses)

After putting on the five-piece set, the base attributes alone provided him with a total of 150 Agility and 50 Stamina!

This caused his Agility attribute, when factoring in the bonus from the purple dagger [medusas gaze], to directly break the 700-point mark! Both his attack power and dodge rate received a qualitative leap.

What surprised him even more was the activated set attribute.

[rock snake set (5/5)] Set Attribute 1: Poison damage increased by 20%. Set Attribute 2: Attack speed increased by 15%. Set Attribute 3 (Unique): Activates the set skill [Embrace of the Rock Serpent]. [Embrace of the Rock Serpent (Passive)]: When you are hit by a melee attack, there is a 10% chance to inflict the "Rockification" status on the attacker, reducing movement speed and attack speed by 50% for 3 seconds.

"Hiss..." Seeing these three powerful set attributes, Lin Mo couldn't help but gasp.

Poison damage and attack speed were the most crucial output attributes for him as a Poison Class assassin. And the passive [Embrace of the Rock Serpent] was an extremely powerful soft control, capable of producing surprising effects in both PVE and PVP.

"How is it?" Summer Rain asked curiously when she saw Lin Mo change into a brand new set of dark green leather armor that emitted a faint green light, making his entire demeanor sharper.

Lin Mo didn't speak, he merely casually brandished the purple dagger in his hand.

"Swish!" A streak of afterimage, fast to the extreme, cut through the air, even generating a slight sound of rushing wind.

"So fast!" Iron Wall's eyes widened.

He was certain that with Lin Mo's current attack speed, even if he activated Shield Wall, he definitely wouldn't last long.

"Let's go. Let's see what's hidden behind that wall," Lin Mo said, feeling the power surging within him, his lips curling slightly upward as he led the two of them to the stone wall behind the throne.

He put on the [Tattered Eye Patch of Medusa] again, and the energy cracks clearly appeared before his eyes.

Lin Mo stretched out his hand and began searching the seemingly smooth stone wall. Soon, in a spot where the cracks were densest, he pressed a tiny, barely noticeable protrusion.

"Rumble..." Accompanied by a dull sound of machinery turning, the hard stone wall slowly split open in the middle, revealing a pitch-black secret passage, wide enough for only one person and seemingly bottomless.

"There really is a secret passage!" Iron Wall and Summer Rain were both surprised and delighted.

A secret passage hidden in the BOSS room—anyone could guess that good things must be hidden inside!

"I'll go first. Follow behind me and watch your step," Lin Mo instructed before stepping into the secret passage.

The light inside the passage was dim, and the air was filled with the scent of stale dust and a faint, fishy odor.

The three of them activated their illumination spells and cautiously explored forward.

"Whoosh!" Just as they traveled less than ten meters deep, a faint sound of rushing wind suddenly came from the walls on both sides!

Dozens of poisoned blow darts, shimmering with a faint green light, shot out from the holes reserved in the walls, covering the entire passage!

"Watch out!" Iron Wall's expression changed, and he instinctively raised his shield.

However, Lin Mo's reaction was faster than his.

Not only did he not dodge, but he actively took a step forward, spread his arms, and let the poisoned blow darts hit him.

-1! -1! -1! ... A series of mandatory damage numbers floated above Lin Mo's head, but he remained completely unharmed.

[System: You have been attacked by 'Serpentman Neurotoxin'. 'Poison Resistance Ring' effect triggered, immunizing you to this poison damage.]

[System: Talent 'Poison Absorption' triggered. You have absorbed the 'Serpentman Neurotoxin'. Your next Poison Class skill damage is increased by 10%.]

"These traps are useless against me," Lin Mo said, turning back and giving them a reassuring look.

Iron Wall and Summer Rain stared in astonishment.

The poisoned traps that would have been fatal to them had, upon reaching Lin Mo, turned into a "power bank" for stacking his buffs?

That talent was simply ridiculous!

The rest of the journey completely turned into Lin Mo's personal show.

Whether it was the Deadly Poison spikes suddenly emerging from the ground, the poison-coated boulders rolling down from above, or the corrosive poison nets descending from the ceiling... all Poison Class traps were rendered useless before Lin Mo.

He strolled leisurely in the lead, not only remaining completely unscathed himself but also conveniently destroying the core of every mechanism, clearing a safe path for Iron Wall and Summer Rain.

Throughout the journey, the Poison Absorption buff on him never stopped stacking.

Iron Wall and Summer Rain, following behind, had gone from initial shock to sheer numbness.

They finally understood why Lin Mo was called the Poison God.

In this environment, he was invincible!

After passing through this trap-filled corridor, which was at least a hundred meters long, the three finally reached the end of the secret passage.

A heavy stone door blocked their way.

Lin Mo stepped forward and easily pushed the stone door open.

Behind the door was a circular secret room about the size of a basketball court.

The decor of the secret room was even older than the temple outside; the walls were covered with various incomprehensible serpentine runes. In the center of the room, there was an obsidian platform, and atop the platform, an ancient treasure chest, completely black and carved with golden snake patterns, lay quietly, emitting an alluring glow.

"We're rich!" Iron Wall's eyes instantly lit up.

However, Lin Mo did not act rashly.

His gaze fell upon the two Life-sized stone snake statues flanking the treasure chest, both holding spears.

"I'm afraid it won't be that easy to get."

The moment Lin Mo's voice fell, the eyes of the two stone snake statues suddenly flared with two beams of crimson light!

"Crack... Crack..." Stone chips peeled off, and the two statues actually came to Life!

They turned their stiff necks, fixing their crimson gaze firmly upon Lin Mo and his two companions.

[Ancient Stone Serpent (Elite)] Level: 40 Life: 150000 Skills: [Spear of Petrification], [Energy Corrosion], [Solid Rock Body] Description: A magical creation given Life by ancient Serpentman shamans, the loyal Guardian of the temple secret room, possessing extremely powerful defensive capabilities.

"Level 40 Elites!" Summer Rain gasped.

"One each, let's finish this quickly!" Lin Mo shouted softly, his figure already a blur as he charged toward the stone serpent on the left.

Iron Wall was not to be outdone. He roared and faced the opponent on the right.

The battle instantly erupted!

"Clang!" The [medusas gaze] in Lin Mo's hand struck the stone serpent hard, but only produced a crisp sound like metal clashing, yielding a damage number of just over three hundred.

-358!

"Such high defense!" Lin Mo's heart tightened.

He realized that although his poison was still effective, the damage from each tick had been reduced by at least half!

On the other side, Iron Wall's situation was worse.

The stone serpent's spear slammed heavily onto his shield, not only taking away a significant portion of his Life but also sending a wave of gray energy spreading onto his body via the shield.

-1250!

[System: You have been afflicted by 'Energy Corrosion'. All Healer effects received are reduced by 50% for 8 seconds!]

Summer Rain's healing spell immediately followed, yet it only restored less than a thousand Life points.

"Healing halved!" Summer Rain's expression instantly turned grim.

High attack, high defense, immunity to control, and healing halved!

These two seemingly inconspicuous Guardian were even more troublesome than the BOSS Medusa they had just fought!

The treasure chest was within arm's reach.

But the path leading to the chest was firmly blocked by two insurmountable masses of stubborn rock.