49: Chapter 49 Madman and Demon God, Server-wide Level One War Preparedness!

Rumble—!

The moment that withered giant hand clutched the edge of the cliff, the already crumbling abyssal landform completely collapsed.

This was not ordinary geological movement, but a violent rewriting at the Law level.

The rocks beneath Qin Ji's feet transformed from solid to red-hot liquid in 0.1 seconds, and a teeth-grinding sizzling sound came from the soles of his shoes. That wasn't burning, but molecular dissociation of matter under high-dimensional energy scour.

"Warning! Environmental temperature has exceeded 3000 degrees!"

"Warning! You are affected by the [Hànbá: Scorched Earth for a Thousand Li] Aura!"

-4000!

-4000!

-4000!

Qin Ji's health bar above his head began to drop at an alarming rate.

This was even with him possessing a set of Divine Artifacts and his physical defense already being ridiculously high. If an ordinary player stood here, they would probably have turned to ash the moment the heatwave struck.

"Is this the prestige of a World BOSS?"

Qin Ji did not retreat.

Between retreating and advancing, he chose to take a step forward, even if it meant losing health.

Because Village Chief Wang, who was pinned under the ice shield, was dying.

At this moment, Village Chief Wang's originally fawning face was twisted beyond recognition. Leona's ice shield rapidly sublimated into white mist under the high temperature. Without the protection of ice, he was nakedly exposed to the Death Qi heatwave emitted by the Hànbá.

"No... Save me! Leona! I did it for you..."

Village Chief Wang's screams abruptly stopped.

His body was like a candle thrown into a furnace, rapidly melting from his feet. His skin peeled, muscles charred, bones crackled in the high heat, finally turning into a pool of black-red pus, which was then evaporated into nothingness.

Just as he completely vanished, a dark-gold light flickered in the ashes.

"I've been waiting for you!"

Qin Ji, with quick eyes and hands, completely disregarded the terrifying high temperature that could scald a person's hand. He fiercely flicked his abyssal fang, precisely tossing the ball of light from the magma and grabbing it into his hand.

[Ding! You have picked up a special drop: Cursed Crown (Incomplete/Legendary)]

Qin Ji glanced at the attributes, and the corners of his mouth instantly became harder to press down than an AK.

[Cursed Crown]

Grade: Legendary (Unique)

Equip Slot: Head

Attributes: All Attributes +75, Spirit +10%

Special Skill: Cursed Aura: When activated, all enemy units within a 100-meter radius have their total speed (movement/attack/casting) reduced by 30%.

Negative Effect: The wearer will take 200 Death Qi erosion damage per second. (Note: Your high health regeneration has automatically offset this negative effect.)

"Good stuff."

Qin Ji casually placed the thorny crown, emitting an ominous black Qi, onto his head.

In an instant, a chilling Death Qi poured in through his crown, not only causing him no discomfort but also instantly calming his Bloodline, which had been restless due to the high temperature.

And just as he completed this series of

Bang—!!!

The ground within a hundred-mile radius suddenly sank.

A figure, enveloped in extreme white flames and carrying a world-destroying Aura, shot up from the ground.

He floated in mid-air, with a rolling sea of magma beneath his feet and a shattered sky above his head.

Wherever his gaze fell, the air ignited, and rocks turned to scorched earth.

Even Leona, who had maintained her aloof demeanor, now had to open a starlight shield, retreating dozens of meters with a pale face, and her Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Scepter actually began to drip water.

Qin Ji immediately cast his Reconnaissance Skill.

[Hànbá (SealRemoving...)]

Rank: ???

HP: ???

Attack: ???

Skills: ???

Description: Daughter of the ancient Yellow Emperor (Mutated), wherever she passes, the earth is scorched for a thousand li, and all things wither.

It was all question marks.

This represented absolute Rank suppression; their life levels were no longer in the same dimension.

...

Meanwhile, outside.

The moment the Hànbá broke the Seal, a blood-red System announcement, like a nuclear explosion, boomed in the ears of all online players.

[World Announcement!]

[Alert! Alert! The Seal of Newbie Village 10086 in the Huaxia Region has been shattered!]

[The ancient World BOSS 'Hànbá' has awakened! Coordinates (XXX, YYY)!]

[Disaster Rank: World-Ending! All players in this area are advised to log off immediately for evacuation! Repeat, this is not a drill!]

This announcement was broadcast three times.

The entire

The world chat instantly exploded, the scroll bar moving too fast to read the words.

"Holy crap? Did I read that right? World BOSS? The highest Rank is only 20 right now, and you're giving me a World BOSS?"

"Newbie Village? Is that a monster that should appear in a Newbie Village? Is the planner's brain full of shit?"

"Who did it? Which lunatic released this thing?"

"Brothers, don't worry about who released it, it's a World BOSS! Just getting an assist will drop enough equipment to last a lifetime!"

"The guy upstairs is dreaming. That's Hànbá! Her Aura instantly kills a large area. Are you going to deliver a package?"

In the real world, Dragon Country, Ministry of War Supreme Command Center.

Piercing alarms blared throughout the hall. On the giant holographic screen, the hellish scene of the Newbie Village was being broadcast live.

An old man with temples streaked with white stood solemnly before the command console, surrounded by dozens of top analysts whose fingers flew across keyboards, leaving afterimages.

"Are the data out?" the old man asked in a deep voice.

The chief analyst, drenched in sweat, trembled as he took off his Glasses: "Sir, based on the energy fluctuation, we estimate... this Hànbá's HP is conservatively... over 300 million."

"300 million?!"

Several staff officers behind the old man gasped, dropping their documents on the floor.

At this stage, the average player's output is only a few dozen points. With 300 million HP, even if all players on the server stood there and attacked, it would take until next year.

"And..." The analyst swallowed, pulling up a simulated attribute chart, "Its defense is extremely high, and it comes with a large-area true damage Aura. Even our most elite 'Dragon Fang' special forces team wouldn't survive more than 5 seconds within a hundred meters of it."

"So, at this stage, it's unsolvable?" The old man stared intently at the figure bathed in flames on the screen.

"From a data perspective... yes." The analyst shook his head in despair. "Unless we use a human wave tactic, gather tens of millions of players from across the server, and fill it with lives, there might be a one-in-ten-thousand chance... But this requires someone to withstand its initial aggro."

The old man fell silent.

Withstand the aggro of a World BOSS?

Who could do that at this stage? Even the server's number one tank would probably be slapped into a meat paste.

...

Star Kingdom, deep within the palace.

A beautiful woman in a magnificent Phoenix robe leaned languidly on the throne, swirling a glass of crimson wine in her hand.

When the server-wide announcement sounded, her wine glass paused slightly.

"Has it finally come out?"

Queen Fiodingyu slowly stood up, her gaze piercing through layers of palace walls towards the distant east. A playful smile appeared on her lips, a smile devoid of fear, only greed.

"Your Highness, Queen."

From the shadows, a stooped old woman holding a skeleton staff slowly emerged, her voice hoarse like a crow's cry: "That little bitch Leona didn't disappoint us after all. With the Hànbá released, the Star Kingdom's barrier will surely break. Then... this chaotic situation will be the perfect time for us to reshuffle the deck."

"Issue the order."

Fiodingyu drained the wine in her glass, a cold glint appearing in her eyes. "The Royal Gryphon Legion is to assemble. After this monster tears that little bitch apart, we will take over the battlefield immediately. The World BOSS drops... must belong to the Royal Family."

...

Bottom of the Abyss.

The outside world's clamor did not reach here.

The air here was thick, as if solidified, with only the crackling sound of burning flames.

The figure wreathed in flames slowly descended to the ground.

As his feet touched the ground, the rolling magma around him strangely calmed down, as if subjects had met their monarch. The flames on his body gradually receded, revealing a face that was... not hideous, but rather eerily handsome.

Only his eyes had no whites, just a void of pure black.

He ignored Leona, who was poised for battle not far away, and instead walked with elegant steps directly towards Qin Ji.

With each step, the pressure Qin Ji felt increased.

It felt as if he was targeted by an ancient Vicious Beast, making even breathing difficult.

But Qin Ji still didn't move.

He just quietly watched the other party, even taking the time to adjust the Cursed Crown that he had just put on crookedly.

Finally, the Hànbá stopped three meters away from Qin Ji.

"Did you release me?"

The voice was magnetic, soft with a hint of darkness, yet carrying a chilling metallic quality. Its gender and emotions were indiscernible.

Qin Ji raised an eyebrow, his abyssal fang slightly lowered in his hand, appearing relaxed, but his entire body's muscles were tensed to the extreme.

"Evidently." Qin Ji pointed to the shattered Formation behind him. "Besides me, who else here would have the guts?"

"Guts?"

The Hànbá tilted its head, its dark eyes fixed on Qin Ji, seemingly scrutinizing an ant oblivious to its impending doom. "Did you not consider that by releasing me, this world would be plunged into misery? That you would become a sinner for all eternity?"

"Plunged into misery?"

Qin Ji laughed.

He laughed brilliantly, revealing a mouthful of white teeth, which looked particularly dazzling in this fiery hell.

"Your Excellency, have you perhaps misunderstood something?"

Qin Ji took a step forward, actually voluntarily closing the distance with this world-ending Demon God. "I am an Adventurer. In my dictionary, there is no 'plunged into misery,' only 'quest rewards' and 'equipment drops.' As for world destruction... as long as it doesn't happen when I'm selling equipment, it has nothing to do with me."

Hearing these words, Leona, not far away, gripped her scepter, her hand trembling slightly, and she cast a complex glance at Qin Ji.

This man... was even crazier than she had imagined.

The Hànbá was stunned.

It seemed he had never heard such refreshingly unconventional, such nakedly self-serving remarks.

After a moment of dead silence.

"Hahahahahahaha!!!"

The Hànbá suddenly threw its head back and roared with laughter, its laughter shaking the surrounding rock walls, causing countlessgravel to tumble down. "Good! What a 'nothing to do with me'! What an Adventurer!"

The laughter abruptly stopped.

The Hànbá's expression instantly became incredibly ferocious. It suddenly stretched out its hand, moving so fast that no afterimage could be seen, and fiercely clamped Qin Ji's neck!

"Ugh!"

Qin Ji felt an irresistible immense force on his neck, and he was lifted directly into the air.

-20000!

With just physical contact, Qin Ji's health bar instantly evaporated a large chunk.

"Once, I also wanted to be a good person."

The Hànbá brought its face close to Qin Ji's, its dark eyes swirling with endless resentment and madness. "I helped many people, even after becoming this monstrous appearance, I was still helping people expel plagues! But what was the result?"

"They called me a monster! They asked Daoists to Seal me! They blamed all droughts and disasters on me!"

"Since the world has forsaken me..."

The Hànbá's grip tightened, and Qin Ji even heard his own cervical vertebrae groan.

"Then I won't be human! I will be the greatest Devil Head between heaven and earth! I will turn these thousands of miles of rivers and mountains into scorched earth!!"

Boom!

Terrifying flames erupted from the Hànbá's body, instantly engulfing Qin Ji's figure.

"Qin Ji!"

Leona, in the distance, cried out in alarm, instinctively raising her scepter to cast a spell, but the next second, her movements froze.

Because within the blazing flames, the man whose neck was being choked did not turn to ash like Village Chief Wang before him.

On the contrary.

The hand lifted in mid-air, with difficulty yet determination, rose and gently patted the Hànbá's iron-vice-like hand.

"Cough cough... that..."

Qin Ji's voice, though hoarse, carried a strange calmness, and even a hint of... disdain?

"Brother, I have no problem with you venting your emotions."

"But can you let go first? Your grip is too strong. If you choke me to death..."

A greedy light, no less intense than the Hànbá's, suddenly erupted from Qin Ji's purple-gold pupils, staring intently at the Hànbá's dazzling health bar above its head.

"...then who am I supposed to get these few top-tier Divine Artifacts from?"

The setting sun, like blood, stained the abyss a dark red.

Qin Ji was choked in mid-air by the Demon God, his feet dangling, his body engulfed in flames, but his eyes were even hotter than the fire, like a hungry wolf who had just discovered its prey, gazing greedily and madly at this existence capable of destroying the world.