178: Chapter 178 Since it's titled "Undying," then I'll kill you until you can't reload your save file!

The moment the golden whip shadow collided with the churning mass of Death Qi, instead of the expected earth-shattering explosion, it produced a sharp hissing sound, like a red-hot branding iron plunging into snow.

It was the absolute suppression of high-tier divine power over lower-tier undead rules.

*Crack—*

The massive bone shield in Gu Feng Nalin's hand, a legendary-grade defensive artifact reputed to withstand forbidden spell bombardment, shattered before the god-beating whip as if it were a dried-out biscuit. Golden runes frantically spread along the cracks on the shield, disintegrating it into a cloud of bone dust in an instant.

"Impossible! What grade of weapon is this?!"

Gu Feng Nalin's emerald-green pupils constricted to pinpricks. The 'intimidation' effect attached to the god-beating whip caused the ghostly flames deep within her Soul to flicker violently, causing a fatal stiffness in her previously fluid spellcasting movements.

Qin Ji offered no reply. His response was the god-beating whip's second strike, following through from the first.

*Boom!!*

This whip solidly struck the protective layer of Death Qi surrounding Gu Feng Nalin. A critical hit damage number exceeding a million popped up. The tremendous impact sent her entire body flying like a baseball, smashing her hard into a tower behind her, sending up a cloud of dust and debris.

"Young Miss!!"

The Old Servant in Green Robes let out a shrill, mournful roar, his form transforming into a gray ghostly shadow as he tried to charge forward to her aid.

"Your opponent is here."

A massive black shadow suddenly slammed into him from the side. Fatty Zhou, wielding his now battered and dented tower shield, activated [Savage Charge] like a rampaging wild bull.

"Get lost!!" The Old Servant in Green Robes's dagger traced a tricky arc, attempting to slice open the fatty's throat.

However, Fatty Zhou didn't dodge or evade at all. A supremely punchable grin spread across his face. "Heh heh, want to get past? Did you ask this Fatty Lord about his weight first? Taunt!!"

A red light forcibly seized the Old Servant in Green Robes's aggro, compelling his body to turn uncontrollably toward the fatty.

...

Amidst the ruins, Gu Feng Nalin struggled to her feet.

Her originally exquisite and luxurious city lord's robes were now reduced to tattered rags, revealing the bluish-gray skin and faintly visible bones beneath. Although a large portion of her health bar remained above her head, the Soul-deep agony made her realize that this man before her truly could kill her.

"The resurrection altar... as long as I get within its range..."

Gnashing her teeth, Gu Feng Nalin caught a glimpse of Qin Ji seemingly being held back for an instant by the Old Servant in Green Robes (in reality, Qin Ji was just switching weapons). Seizing the opportunity, she decisively transformed into a streak of gray light, skimming the ground as she frantically fled toward the altar at the center of the square.

Closer.

Fifty meters left.

Once she entered the altar's Aura range, the 5% health regeneration per second would make her practically invincible!

A flicker of hope flashed in Gu Feng Nalin's eyes, and her speed increased explosively once more.

However, just as she was about to step onto the edge of the square, Qin Ji's voice, tinged with mockery, suddenly rang in her ear like a demon's whisper:

"You run pretty fast. Pity you took the wrong path."

What did that mean?

Gu Feng Nalin's heart skipped a beat. The next second, the seemingly ordinary bluestone slab beneath her foot suddenly sank slightly.

*Click.*

A crisp mechanical sound, jarringly distinct amidst the chaotic battlefield.

*BOOM!!!*

A sphere of orange-red flame erupted from the ground without warning. The massive shockwave instantly tore through Gu Feng Nalin's protective Death Qi, blasting her entire body into the air.

"A landmine?!"

Gu Feng Nalin struggled to adjust her posture mid-air, her face a mask of disbelief. This was her Gu Feng City! She walked across this square several times a day! When had such engineering traps been planted here?!

"Not done yet. Stay graceful."

Qin Ji stood in the distance, the netherworld longbow now in his hands, a cold curve lifting the corner of his mouth.

Gu Feng Nalin's still-ascending body suddenly collided with a wire as thin as a gossamer thread.

It was part of a 'chain-linked tripwire mine' Qin Ji had set up before the battle began, using the stealth interval of [Void Walk].

*Boom! Boom! Boom!!*

A series of explosions rang out in the air. Gu Feng Nalin was tossed about by the shockwaves like a ragdoll, utterly unable to land. Each explosion not only stripped away tens of thousands of her health points but, more importantly—completely disrupted her movement rhythm.

The resurrection altar was so close, yet felt as distant as the horizon.

"Explosives aren't something only you know how to play with."

Qin Ji coldly drew the bowstring. A black-feathered arrow coalesced on the string, and the surrounding light seemed to be devoured by the bow.

[netherworld longbow · Rapid-Fire Mode]

*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!!*

The shrieks of torn air became a continuous cacophony.

At this moment, Qin Ji's hand speed exploded to its limit. Arrows fell like a black torrential rain, precisely striking Gu Feng Nalin, who was helplessly suspended in mid-air.

"-499,999!"

"-999,998! (Critical Hit)"

"-499,999!"

A dense cascade of damage numbers formed a red waterfall. Gu Feng Nalin's originally robust health bar plummeted at a heart-stopping speed.

"Aaaahhhh!!"

Gu Feng Nalin let out a scream of despair. She tried to raise a magic shield, but under such a dense barrage of attacks, any defensive skill shattered instantly like paper.

"Damn it!! Snow Emperor!!"

The Old Servant in Green Robes, held fast by Fatty Zhou, watched with eyes wide with fury as his Young Miss's health dropped below the 10% execution threshold.

"Get out of my way!!"

The Old Servant in Green Robes erupted completely. His body ignited with a ghastly white undead flame. Disregarding all defense, he tanked a shield bash from the fatty and turned to pounce toward Qin Ji.

"Too late."

Qin Ji's gaze was indifferent as he released the bowstring.

The final arrow, trailing a trace of eerie purple light, pierced precisely through the center of Gu Feng Nalin's forehead.

*Thud.*

The scream in the air cut off abruptly.

Gu Feng Nalin's body stiffened for an instant before crashing heavily onto the steps of the resurrection altar. Her emerald-green eyes retained a thick residue of unwillingness. Her outstretched hand was less than half a meter from the altar's glowing circle.

[Server-wide Announcement: Congratulations to player 'Snow Emperor' for successfully defeating Gu Feng City's City Lord, Gu Feng Nalin (Lv.60 Legendary Boss), achieving the First Kill! This announcement serves as encouragement for all players to strive further!]

[Server-wide Announcement: Congratulations to player 'Snow Emperor'...]

The blood-red announcement repeated three consecutive times, exploding across the vision of all online players like a heavy bomb.

The world channel fell silent for a second before erupting into complete pandemonium.

"Holy crap?! City slaughter? They actually slaughtered the city?!"

"That's a level 60 Legendary Boss! Who can even penetrate its defenses at this stage? Did Snow Emperor cheat?!"

"Gu Feng City's lord is dead? Does that mean the city's taxes are..."

"Dream on, idiot upstairs. NPCs respawn, but the first kill rewards must be insane!"

...

Back on the battlefield.

"Young Miss..."

The Old Servant in Green Robes looked at the corpse lying on the steps, his entire being seeming to lose its backbone. But the sorrow in his eyes lasted only a moment before being replaced by an even more violent killing intent.

"I'll make you pay with your life!!"

*BOOM!*

The Old Servant in Green Robes's body suddenly swelled. His originally withered skin cracked inch by inch, revealing muscle fibers beneath that flowed with Death Qi like magma. Abandoning all defense, he charged toward Qin Ji like a human-shaped nuclear bomb.

This was the undead-specific 'Death Wish Frenzy'—sacrificing reason for ultimate destructive power.

"Getting impatient already?"

Qin Ji didn't retreat but instead advanced, the netherworld longbow in his hand instantly switching back to the god-beating whip.

Facing the frenzied Old Servant in Green Robes, he didn't choose to kite. Instead, he opted for the most direct, head-on confrontation.

*Clang!!*

Dagger and god-beating whip collided, sparks flying.

Qin Ji's arm shook slightly, a "-2000" damage number floating above his head.

The Old Servant in Green Robes, however, was forced back three steps by the recoil, a terrifying "-850,000" number appearing above his head.

This was attribute suppression.

This was equipment domination.

"Your loyalty is touching, but your health bar is laughable."

Qin Ji closed the distance. The god-beating whip transformed into a sky full of golden shadows, each lash precisely striking the weak joints of the Old Servant in Green Robes.

*Thud! Thud! Thud!*

The dull sound of impacts was as dense as war drums.

In just ten seconds.

The Old Servant in Green Robes's frenzied Aura was forcibly beaten into dissipation. His proud undead body, under the specialized countering properties of the god-beating whip, melted away like snow under sunlight.

"Snow Emperor... my master... will not let you go..."

With a final, unwilling roar, the Old Servant in Green Robes's head was shattered by a whip strike, turning into a cloud of black ash.

[Server-wide Announcement: Congratulations to player 'Snow Emperor' for successfully defeating Gu Feng City's Chief Steward, Gu Feng Qingyi (Lv.55 epic rank Boss)...]

Three more announcement broadcasts filled the screens.

Qin Ji let out a long, slow breath, his tense muscles relaxing slightly.

Two bosses.

Though the process had its twists, the result was satisfactory.

He walked over to Gu Feng Nalin's corpse, about to bend down and collect the spoils. According to the drop mechanics of *Multiverse*, humanoid bosses like this on a first kill had a high probability of dropping a city establishment token or special skill books.

Perhaps it might even drop *that* kind of thing...

Information about the [Ring of Time and Space] flashed through Qin Ji's mind. In his previous life, rumors suggested the Gu Feng Family possessed some secret treasure capable of cross-border teleportation, which was why Gu Feng City became a hub for smuggling. If he could obtain it, causing trouble in other server regions in the future would be much more convenient.

However.

Just as his fingertips were about to touch the corpse.

*Hummm—*

A bone-chilling cold suddenly enveloped the entire square.

The bodies of Gu Feng Nalin and the Old Servant in Green Robes, already judged dead by the System, began to tremble eerily.

"Hmm?"

Qin Ji retracted his hand like lightning, his body leaping back over ten meters, his gaze fixed warily on the two corpses.

No loot orbs.

The corpses hadn't vanished or respawned.

This defied the game's rules.

Unless...

"It's not over?" Fatty Zhou, hefting his shield, shuffled over, panting. "Boss, are they playing dead?"

"Shut up. Get back." Qin Ji's voice held an unprecedented gravity.

The originally dusky sunset in the sky had vanished without notice, replaced by a dead, ashen grayness.

A death-gray light pillar over ten meters in diameter pierced down from the depths of the clouds without warning, precisely enveloping the remains of Gu Feng Nalin and the Old Servant in Green Robes.

Under the scouring of this power, the surrounding space began to distort. The once-solid bluestone ground writhed like rotting flesh.

*Groan...*

A low, hoarse roar, as if from the deepest abyss of Hell, emanated from within the light pillar.

Gu Feng Nalin's originally shattered skull healed at a visible rate under the nourishing gray light. She slowly floated into the air. Her tattered robes transformed into black battle armor. Her emerald-green eyes had now become pure black, devoid of any whites.

Simultaneously, far away in the royal palace of Tianxing City, tens of thousands of miles distant.

*Crash!*

Luolin Muye violently overturned the crystal table before him. His face, usually wearing a hypocritical smile, was now contorted withgloomy.

"Trash! Utter trash!"

He glared fixedly at the towering gray light in the magical projection, gnashing his teeth. "That idiot Gu Feng Nalin actually used 'Divine Descent' at a time like this! Does she want to sacrifice the entire Gu Feng City?!"

"Issue the order! Seal all teleportation arrays around Gu Feng City! We absolutely cannot let that Aura leak out!"

...

Back at Gu Feng City's square.

Qin Ji watched the two figures now floating mid-air, their presence several times stronger than before. His brow furrowed slightly, but his eyes held no trace of fear. Instead, an even more blazing flame ignited within them.

"So you had backing after all."

He gently rotated the god-beating whip in his hand, his knuckles whitening slightly from the grip.

The ability to forcibly resurrect, overriding the System's death rules—such a method had no explanation other than divine intervention.

"However..."

Qin Ji raised his head. His amethyst-gold pupils stared directly at the overbearing figure in the air. The corner of his mouth lifted into a wild, arrogant smile.

"Since it's called 'immortal,' then I'll just keep killing you until you can't reload."

A fierce gale rose, whipping up gravel and bone dust from the ground. Qin Ji stood, single-handedly holding the whip pointing diagonally at the ground. His black cloak flapped violently in the ashen death light behind him, resembling an Asura about to defy the gods, his cold gaze fixed on the two reassembling Puppet shells.