122: Altar Guardian, Abyss Butcher!

The closer Lin Feng got to the center of the camp, the greater the pressure he felt.

The Abyssal energy in the air was as viscous as liquid; each breath was like swallowing grit and flames. On the ground, thick, vein-like structures pulsed like living things, delivering pure Abyssal energy in all directions.

The patrol density and strength of the monsters here had increased by more than one Rank. There were even organized monster squads, led by elite Abyssal Centurions, working in perfect coordination with vigilant eyes, almost sealing off all conventional infiltration routes.

Lin Feng had no choice but to slow down, retracting his Qi to its absolute limit.

He moved like a true phantom, hugging the shadows of the twisted buildings, each movement meticulously calculated, narrowly avoiding wave after wave of patrol teams.

Finally, in the center of a relatively open basin, he saw the energy altar.

It was a colossal altar, dozens of meters high, constructed from countless bones and unknown black crystals. At the altar's apex, a massive, dark-purple crystal, pulsating like a heart, radiated unsettling energy fluctuations. A thick, dark-red beam of light shot up from the crystal, piercing into the sky's blood-red vortex, clearly indicating ongoing energy transmission.

Around the altar, complex and evil magic formations were carved, and four Abyssal Priests, whose auras were even more powerful than the previous Fiery Mages, stood with closed eyes at the four corners of the altar, maintaining the ritual's operation.

And at the sole stone staircase leading to the altar, a figure as massive as a small mountain captured all of Lin Feng's attention.

It was a gigantic monster, over five meters tall: the Abyssal Butcher.

It had no head; in place of its neck was a gaping, fanged maw. Its body was a mass of bulging muscles, its skin covered in gruesome stitch marks, as if it were pieced together from countless corpse fragments. One hand held a huge, rusty cleaver, stained with bits of flesh, while the other dragged a heavy iron chain, at the end of which was a sharp iron hook.

Its aura was violent, bloody, and full of oppression.

【Abyssal Butcher (Elite BOSS)】

【Rank: Lv.18】

【???】

An Elite BOSS!

Lin Feng's pupils suddenly contracted. This was no ordinary elite monster; it was a BOSS-level creature with an independent template and powerful skills! Its Rank of 18 created an absolute suppression against him.

Even more troublesome, there were four Abyssal Priests, each Rank 16, around the altar. If a battle broke out, he would face the desperate situation of a one-against-five.

“I must find a way to deal with those four Priests first…”

Lin Feng calmly analyzed the situation. A direct charge would undoubtedly be a dead end; the Abyssal Butcher, just by standing there, gave off a sense of unshakeable despair. Its defense was likely several times more terrifying than the heavy-armored guards he had faced earlier.

His gaze swept around, his mind racing.

The altar was built in the center of the basin, with almost no usable cover. The four Priests were also widely dispersed, making it impossible to take them all out simultaneously.

What to do?

Just as Lin Feng was at a loss, he suddenly noticed a detail.

Although the four Abyssal Priests were maintaining the ritual, every thirty seconds or so, the energy fluctuations from their bodies would briefly weaken, seemingly during a pause in the energy circulation.

And at each moment of weakness, the giant heart crystal at the top of the altar would also dim slightly.

A daring plan gradually formed in Lin Feng's mind.

He no longer looked at the terrifying Abyssal Butcher, but instead fixed his gaze on the heart crystal at the top of the altar.

To catch the bandit, first catch the king; destroying the core of the ritual might turn the tide!

He took a deep breath, adjusting his energy to its Peak state. Although the temporary attribute surge had disappeared, the permanent increase from gaining two Ranks had made his fundamental strength significantly greater than when he first entered the camp.

He was waiting.

Waiting for that thirty-second energy circulation interval.

Time passed by, second by second; Lin Feng's heartbeat and the altar's pulsation seemed to merge into one.

Now!

The moment the four Priests' energy fluctuations weakened and the heart crystal's light dimmed, Lin Feng moved!

He held nothing back, instantly allocating all the free attribute points he had gained from leveling up to Agility!

“Dragon God Transformation!”

A low roar echoed in his heart, and an ancient power originating from the depths of his Bloodline awakened with a crash!

Fine, pale-golden Dragon scales appeared on his body, faint illusory Dragon horns formed on either side of his forehead, and his eyes transformed into majestic vertical pupils! His speed and strength, at this moment, broke through their limits!

Whoosh!

His figure transformed into a golden lightning bolt, shooting out from his hiding place, ignoring the Abyssal Butcher and Priests below, aiming directly for the heart crystal at the top of the altar!

“Roar!!”

The Abyssal Butcher's reaction was astonishingly fast! The moment Lin Feng charged out, its headless body spun sharply, and the giant maw on its abdomen let out a deafening roar!

The iron chain in its hand whistled through the air, and the gleaming iron hook, like a venomous snake, shot with incredible precision towards Lin Feng in mid-air!

Fast! Too fast!

Lin Feng's pupils constricted; he could feel the deadly crisis coming from behind him. But he didn't dodge, didn't even look back!

Because he knew that once he dodged, he would lose this one and only opportunity!

“Break for me…!”

Lin Feng poured all his strength into his right fist. Under the enhancement of Dragon God Transformation, the Dragon shadow on his fist had solidified, radiating brilliant Divine Might!

“Dragon Fist: Skybreaker!”

While still in mid-air, he forcibly twisted his body, unleashing a punch from bottom to top, fiercely slamming into the giant dark-purple crystal!

At the same time, the Abyssal Butcher's iron hook accurately struck his back!

“Pfft!”

The sharp iron hook instantly tore through the pale-golden Dragon scales, embedding itself deeply into his flesh! A heart-wrenching pain surged through him, Lin Feng grunted, a trace of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

-890!

A terrifying damage number appeared above his head; with just one hit, nearly half of his health was gone!

But he succeeded!

His fist, condensed with all his strength and will, also solidly struck the heart crystal!

Boom—Crack!!

A huge bang, accompanied by a crisp shattering sound.

The incredibly hard heart crystal, under the brutal force of the Dragon Fist, was actually blasted with a spiderweb-like crack!

The entire altar's energy operation instantly stalled! The light beam shooting into the sky trembled violently, then dispersed and vanished.

“Aargh—!”

The four Abyssal Priests maintaining the ritual were severely impacted, simultaneously letting out screams, spitting out mouthfuls of black blood, their energy fluctuations instantly plummeting to rock bottom.

“Roar!!!”

The Abyssal Butcher let out an even angrier roar, dragging the iron chain, intending to yank Lin Feng down from mid-air and tear him to shreds!

But Lin Feng's objective had been achieved.

He endured the intense pain in his back, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes.

“Now, it's my turn!”

Instead of breaking free, he used the pulling force of the iron chain to flip in mid-air, slamming his feet against the altar's rock wall. Like a golden meteor, he followed the iron chain, launching a desperate charge towards the colossal Abyssal Butcher below!