158: Chapter 158 The BOSS is starting to play me.

The Wind and Snow Plain had already turned into a gladiator arena for war souls.

The three towering ssr battle souls didn't have the world boss in their eyes at all.

This world boss crusade had become a stage for them to defend their guild's glory.

Chain blades tore through the wind and snow, astral arrows pierced the firmament, and ice and fire magic complemented each other.

Hundreds of SR and R-rank war souls were fighting in pairs nearby; for a moment, the scene was more worth watching than the Shadow Monarch itself.

Chen You boredly controlled the jade brilliance twin swords, maintaining a steady damage output on the boss.

His gaze, however, sized up the three ssr battle souls with great interest.

He stroked his chin, feeling a bit of an itch in his heart.

Should he... call the True Lord out for some exercise?

Once the Judicial Heavenly God form was activated and the Divine Lightning of Heavenly Punishment fell, wouldn't his style be much higher than these three?

This thought only swirled in his mind for 0.2 seconds before he decisively snuffed it out.

No, no.

Firstly, it wasn't necessary.

Why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut?

Making a whole batch of dumplings just for a bit of vinegar—it wasn't worth it.

Yang Jian, this trump card, had to be used in a more critical place.

Secondly, and most importantly.

newbie protection period!

Look at how Kuito was swinging those two chain blades, like Wind-Fire Wheels; anything they touched died, and anything they grazed was injured.

If he called out Second Son of the Heavenly God and accidentally grazed a few onlookers to death...

Then his newbie protection period would be instantly voided.

Who would he even complain to then?

In this situation, without the newbie protection, he wouldn't survive even with ten thousand lives.

Chen You shuddered and immediately put that dangerous thought behind him.

Staying alive was more important than anything.

While his internal monologue was rich, his hands didn't stop.

The jade brilliance twin swords were like two tireless streaks of golden lightning, still weaving through the Shadow Monarch's head.

The boss's health, under everyone's damage, dropped slowly but steadily.

28%...

25%...

The moment the health bar touched the 20% red line!

Buzz—!

The Shadow Monarch, who had been silent all along, gave its mountain-like body a sudden jolt.

Its crimson eyes scanned the field once more.

In that gaze, there was no longer simple anger and hatred, but an absolute indifference and... judgment of a higher being toward ants!

"Ignorant mortals..."

"Witness... eternal... silence!"

The grand and cold voice seemed to ring directly in the depths of everyone's soul.

In the next second, the entire world lost all sound.

Boom—!

An invisible dark shockwave, centered on the Shadow Monarch, swept indiscriminately across the Wind and Snow Plain!

From the earth, countless ink-black chains erupted, carrying absolute binding power as they coiled toward every living thing in sight!

"Not good! A field-wide crowd control!"

The expressions of Salos, Arrow of the Moon, and Oro, who were fighting each other, changed drastically.

Salos's War God Kuito had just torn a Roman Holy Knight to shreds when he was tightly bound by dozens of black chains.

His massive body instantly stiffened, the tyrannical expression on his face frozen into a comical sculpture.

Arrow of the Moon's Moon Priestess Tyrande, the white tiger beneath her letting out a wail, was wrapped in chains along with her master and pulled to the ground, unable to move.

Oro's Archmage Antonidas, the forbidden spell he was halfway through chanting was forced to an end.

Endless arcane energy swelled into a purple orb at the tip of his staff, finally sputtering out with a helpless 'pop.'

Even the three ssr battle souls were like this.

The rest of the players were even more vulnerable.

Whether it was the tens of thousands of elites from the Three Great Guilds or the millions of solo players watching from afar.

The moment the dark chains touched their bodies, everyone's movements ceased.

Whether charging, dodging, chanting, or shouting...

All actions and expressions were frozen at this moment.

The entire Wind and Snow Plain instantly transformed from a noisy, boiling battlefield into a bizarre one composed of countless players...

...large-scale live-action sculpture exhibition.

The same status icon appeared on everyone—[Shadow Cage]!

The plains seemed to return to their previous silence.

Only the wind and snow continued to howl, as if mocking this group of overconfident challengers.

However, in this absolute silence, there was one discordant note.

The only discordant note.

Chen You.

When the ink-black chains surged toward him like a tide, he was yawning.

The chains touched his body, caused no obstruction, and then vanished again.

Above his head, two large golden words gracefully and calmly floated up.

[Immune]!

Heaven-Breaking Sword Technique, Third Form—Control Below!

Absolute control immunity based on the True Intent of the Sword Dao!

Chen You had been maintaining the "Control Below" state.

He pulled out another spirit recovery pill and tossed it into his mouth like a peanut.

He looked around.

He saw Salos, tied up like a zongzi, his face still holding a ferocious, roaring expression.

He saw Arrow of the Moon, bound in mid-air by chains, her posture graceful yet immobile, her eyes filled with shock and confusion.

He saw Oro, maintaining a chanting posture with a face that looked like he was constipated.

And the millions of player sculptures maintaining all sorts of bizarre poses.

The entire world seemed to have its pause button pressed.

Only he could move freely.

"Uh..."

Chen You blinked, an extremely absurd feeling welling up in his heart.

He turned his head to look at the equally stunned Shadow Monarch.

The thousand-meter-tall giant demon god also seemed not to have expected its ultimate skill to actually miss someone.

"Wait..."

Chen You finally couldn't help but speak up.

He complained to the Shadow Monarch from the bottom of his heart:

"Is there a bug in your skill?"

Shadow Monarch: "..."

All the frozen players: "..."

The Wind and Snow Plain were deathly silent; there was no answer.

Chen You's heartfelt complaint sounded exceptionally abrupt and clear in the whistling cold wind.

The pupils of the Shadow Monarch's giant crimson eyes seemed to contract for a moment.

But it was only for an instant.

It didn't become enraged as Chen You had expected, nor did it show any interest in this "bug."

That thousand-meter-tall demon god body continued to maintain its posture of looking down upon all living beings.

The grand and cold voice continued to echo in the depths of everyone's soul.

According to the process, it was time for the phase transition.

"Under the contract of shadows..."

"All struggles are but illusions..."

"I am the end, and also... the new birth!"

Chen You: "..."

Is this... being directly ignored?

No, man, did you hear me?

I'm alive, and I can move!

The Shadow Monarch didn't pay any more attention, even ignoring the sword light still weaving back and forth on its head.

Boom!

Its mountain-like giant body began to crack from within, with countless ink-black fissures spreading across its entire form.

Dark red light seeped through the cracks, as if it were burning inside.

Immediately after, those shadow chains that had erupted from the ground and bound millions of players connected to it all at once!

Whoosh whoosh whoosh—!

Countless chains shot out streaks of black light, drilling into the Shadow Monarch's body.

"Roar—!"

An even more painful and violent roar resounded through the heavens and earth.

Chen You narrowed his eyes, his expression becoming serious.

He knew that phase two was coming.