Gao Wu: If this BOSS isn't nerfed, is it even playable?

Chapter 180, Third Stage
The battle has entered a new phase.

Dongfang Zhen's appearance was solemn, and he made a lightning hand seal. Strike after strike of lightning and lightning bolts relentlessly bombarded Balan, forcing it to divert some of its mind and arms to block them.

Lin Ye then used his extremely fast teleportation and close-range burst of power with his spear to inflict terrifying damage on Balan.

Balan's eight lava tentacles wielded giant weapons, forming an impenetrable network of death.

Each swing of the burning giant axe generates a scorching wind strong enough to melt rocks, while the sharp spear thrusts forward with lightning speed.

These attacks are absolutely unstoppable; if they touch you, you're dead!

Lin Ye's figure weaved between sword light and axe shadows, each dodge fraught with peril.

His landing point kept changing, and every time he was about to fall due to exhaustion, a flying sword would appear exactly where he needed to be.

Lin Ye took the lead in the attack, while Dongfang Zhen provided support and restraint from the sidelines.

Zhang Daoxuan focused intently on observing the changes on the battlefield, becoming the stage builder for this highly challenging aerial assault!
The entire underground space was shaking violently, with huge rocks constantly falling from the overhead rock walls and crashing into the churning lava below, splashing up waves several meters high.

The air smelled of sulfur so strong it was pungent; every breath felt like inhaling flames.

The three worked together with unprecedented skill in the face of life and death.

Zhang Daoxuan's sword control technique demonstrated an extremely solid foundation.

At first, he couldn't keep up with Lin Ye's unreasonable speed, and several times the flying sword barely managed to let Lin Ye step on the hilt.

But he quickly adapted to the rhythm.

His gaze was fixed on Lin Ye, his mind completely unified with the twelve flying swords.

boom!
Lin Ye's figure suddenly blurred as he activated [Instantaneous Movement]!
Almost at the same instant he disappeared, Zhang Daoxuan's pupils contracted, and with an almost intuitive premonition, his mind raced.

A flying sword instantly pierced the sky and appeared just before Lin Ye's landing point!

Lin Ye's figure solidified, his right foot landing precisely on the sword without the slightest hesitation. He unleashed another burst of power, his Piercing Star Spear drawing a dazzling golden light as it pierced fiercely into Balan's arm joint.

puff!
The domineering flow of energy exploded, and the giant lava arm visibly froze.

Balan finally realized that the human who had been hiding in the distance and whose attack power was almost negligible was the core of this battle!

It let out a furious roar, abandoning Lin Ye and Dongfang Zhen in front of it. With a sudden swing of its two arms, the lava giant sword and spear in its hands flew out and turned into two streams of fire, shooting towards Zhang Daoxuan on the distant rock wall!
"careful!"

Dongfang Zhen roared, and a thick bolt of lightning descended from the sky, striking the giant sword precisely and shattering it.

But the spear still hurtled towards them.

Zhang Daoxuan's face turned pale. He suddenly pushed off the rock wall, narrowly avoiding the fatal blow.

The spear pierced deep into the rock wall where he had just been, and the terrifying heat instantly turned the surrounding rocks a deep red.

While he was in mid-air, he immediately manipulated a flying sword to fly to his feet and regain his footing.

But his face had turned red from the high temperature of the space, his lips were chapped, and the sweat evaporated as soon as it appeared.

opportunity!

Just as Balan was distracted and attacked Zhang Daoxuan, a cold glint flashed in Lin Ye's eyes.

Instantaneous!

His speed once again broke the limit, and he transformed into an elusive streak of light, instantly closing in on Balan's chest.

All the power and all the evil energy converged at the tip of the Piercing Star Spear!

Pfft——!
The Star Piercing Spear, with unwavering determination, pierced through Balan's body again through the old wound, and for the second time, it accurately penetrated the core of the furnace that was protected by layers of defense!

"Roar--!!!"

Balan let out a mournful cry that echoed through the heavens and earth, and the breath of life withered away at an alarming rate.

Even after suffering a fatal attack, it still didn't die!
Lin Ye felt a chill run down his spine. As long as the core in his chest wasn't completely shattered, he wouldn't die!
Balan was too big; his attacks were limited to thrusting. Without multiple attacks, it would be incredibly difficult to shatter its massive core in one fell swoop!

At the same time, the surging lava below had reached its limit, leaving only three or four meters of space from the top of the cave, and the entire underground world was about to be completely submerged.

As the space grew increasingly scorching, Zhang Daoxuan, who was in the distance, could no longer hold on. His body went limp, and he fell off the flying sword.

The continuous high-intensity focus on sword control had severely depleted his mental energy.

The temperature has risen sharply, and he has been tortured to the point of near dehydration, his consciousness fading into a coma.

Almost simultaneously, the Thunder Lord Dharma Image on Dongfang Zhen's body also flashed wildly, and its aura began to decline rapidly.

His spiritual energy was severely depleted; his face was as pale as paper, and he was only persevering through sheer willpower.

Seeing this, Lin Ye did not hesitate at all.

He suddenly pulled out the Piercing Star Spear and kicked Balan in the chest, using the force to send him flying backward.

"You guys leave quickly!"

He grabbed the falling Zhang Daoxuan and roared at Dongfang Zhen at the same time.

Dongfang Zhen forced himself to steady himself, looking at the Molten Demon Lord, who was still ferocious despite being severely injured, with his eyes full of worry.

"go!"

Lin Ye's voice was firm and unwavering.

"It won't survive, this place is going to collapse! Go outside and wait for me!"

Before he finished speaking, he threw the unconscious Zhang Daoxuan toward Dongfang Zhen.

Under the horrified gaze of Dongfang Zhen, Lin Ye actually rushed straight into the lava lake!
Dongfang Zhen was filled with anxiety. He glanced at Zhang Daoxuan, who had fainted in his arms, and then at the battlefield below that was about to be completely swallowed by lava. He clenched his teeth.

Ultimately, it comes down to my own lack of ability!
In the end, he could only take Zhang Daoxuan with him and, with his last ounce of strength, flee desperately towards the passage they had come from.

Rumble——!
A deafening roar, like a mountain collapsing and the earth splitting, came from behind. The entire underground space completely lost its support, and the rock strata above collapsed with an irreversible force.

A devastating shockwave swept in, and Dongfang Zhen felt a sharp pain in his back before being thrown away.

Just as his consciousness was about to be swallowed by darkness, a gentle yet irresistible stream of light enveloped him and Zhang Daoxuan.

The world is spinning.

When Dongfang Zhen regained his footing, he found himself out of that collapsing hell and suspended in mid-air.

He turned around in horror, only to see that Yin Liulan had appeared behind them at some point, her expression calm, and with a single hand outstretched, she pulled him and Zhang Daoxuan out of a near-death situation.

This is... soaring through the void!
It can fly in the air without any external force!
Dongfang Zhen's mind went blank.

This is not something a martial artist at the Divine Intent Realm can do; it is a hallmark ability that can only be possessed by those who have stepped into a higher level and entered the Celestial Realm!
This head instructor, who looked only a few years older than them, was actually a martial artist at the Celestial Realm!
"Instructor Yin! Lin Ye is still down there!"

Dongfang Zhen snapped out of his daze and shouted urgently.

Yin Liulan's gaze fell on the collapsed area below, completely submerged by boulders and lava, her tone calm and unwavering.

"rest assured."

"When the time comes for me to take action, I will naturally do so."

Dongfang Zhen's heart skipped a beat.

He sensed certainty in Yin Liulan's tone, which meant that Lin Ye was not dead at all!

He suppressed the turmoil in his heart and followed Yin Liulan's gaze.

Yin Liulan raised her slender arm and gently waved it towards the chaotic collapsed area below.

An invisible yet powerful force swept across, and those massive boulders, weighing hundreds of tons, scattered in all directions like dust blown by a gale!

A massive sinkhole, hundreds of meters in diameter, appeared at the foot of Mount Doom.

Beneath the sinkhole lies a sea of ​​crimson lava that has been completely transformed.

The next moment, Dongfang Zhen's pupils suddenly contracted.

He saw the churning lava lake suddenly explode, and a huge figure was forcibly thrown out from the depths of the lava by an indescribable, eerie force, crashing heavily onto the distant mountain wall!

It's that Molten Demon Lord Balan!
Its current appearance was extremely pitiful; its core was riddled with cracks, and three of its eight arms were broken. It exuded an aura of decay, clearly at its last gasp.

But... who hit it?
Before Dongfang Zhen could figure it out, the lava lake below began to boil again.

A massive claw, formed from pure black mycelium and flesh, suddenly gripped the edge of the sinkhole.

Immediately afterwards, a colossal creature that horrified Dongfang Zhen slowly crawled out of the sea of ​​lava that could melt steel.

It was a giant over fifteen meters tall, entirely pieced together from countless broken corpses and twisted flesh!
Dongfang Zhen could clearly see that the main body of this giant was made up of the corpses of those Molten Demons.

Their severed limbs and fragments were forcibly sewn together by dense black mycelium, forming a terrifying shell that sends chills down one's spine.

On the giant's chest, one can even see the corpses of several eight-armed tribe leaders and Stone Goblin elites, as if they were embedded in it, becoming part of this enormous body.

"Roar--!"

The giant looked up and let out a roar that was unlike any human's; the sound waves rolled on and shook the surrounding air.

Then, under the watchful eyes of Nie Cang, who had come to the rescue, and a large number of instructors, the giant took heavy steps and charged toward Balan, who was slammed against the mountainside and unable to move.

boom! boom! boom!
Each step caused the already strained ground to tremble violently, leaving a deep footprint.

Balan let out a weak roar, his remaining five arms waving broken weapons in a final attempt to put up a fight.

However, the giant simply swung a punch forward.

A deep and solid purple crystal covered his fist, and at the same time, the fist wind was mixed with a domineering golden flow that Dongfang Zhen was extremely familiar with!
boom--!
There was a loud bang.

The five lava weapons that Balan swung were as fragile as glass before that giant fist covered in amethyst, and shattered instantly!

The giant fist, still brimming with power, slammed into Balan's chest.

Balan's massive body was sent flying through the air by the punch, crashing into the mountainside behind him once again. This time, even the solid mountain was dented by the impact.

"That is……"

An utterly absurd idea surfaced in the minds of Dongfang Zhen and the others.

Golden Qi...

Amethyst Armor...

They had only seen these two abilities in one person.

"Lin Ye?"

Yin Liulan's voice rang in everyone's ears, carrying a hint of admiration.

"interesting."

"Using puppets as armor, how could he even think of that?"

Upon receiving confirmation from Yin Liulan, Dongfang Zhen felt his mind go completely blank.

That monster, fifteen meters tall and possessing overwhelming power, could send a lord-level alien flying with a single punch...

It really is Lin Ye?!

Time goes back a little bit.

Lin Ye certainly wouldn't impulsively go and die.

While he was locked in battle with Balan, his Lava Demon puppets used their innate ability to swim in lava to carve out a passage from every corner of the volcano directly to the core lava lake.

The moment he leaped into the lava was the moment the signal was sent.

In the next instant, the puppet army that had been waiting below surged forward like a tidal wave.

Countless puppets of the Molten Demon Clan, Eight-Armed Clan, and Stone Demon Clan charged forward fearlessly.

The moment their flesh and blood came into contact with Lin Ye's body, they were scorched by the high temperature, making a sizzling sound.

But more black mycelium spread out from their bodies, forcibly covering Lin Ye's body with this soon-to-melt flesh and blood.

One floor, ten floors, a hundred floors...

Within seconds, Lin Ye's body was covered with a thick armor made of countless corpses and mycelium.

He was enveloped at the very core of this enormous body, insulated from the deadly high temperatures outside.

In this state, he no longer needs the fire resistance of [Shadow Scale] to survive.

This means that he can unleash the full potential of the Crystallization ability without reservation!
This idea had been planted in his heart long ago when he encountered the Fungal King in the Black Silk Forest.

Since the fungal offspring can control countless puppets to cover themselves, forming a more powerful aggregate.

Then why can't he?
He felt the explosive power emanating from this enormous body, and a thought arose in his mind.

This is the complete form of the skill [Silk Puppet]!
……

Time returns to the present.

Lin Ye controlled this enormous body and took another step forward.

Then it stretched out its giant hand and grabbed Balan's thick, long tail.

The next moment, under the astonished gaze of onlookers in the distance.

Lin Ye swung Balan's massive body as if it were a straw, and slammed it hard into the ground on the left!
boom--!
The ground cracked and dust billowed up.

Before the dust settled, Lin Ye exerted his strength again, swinging it to the right!

Once to the left, once to the right.

The once invincible Molten Demon Lord is now like a rag doll in Lin Ye's hands, being repeatedly trampled and beaten, utterly powerless to fight back.

The solid rock was smashed into one huge crater after another, and the lava glow on Balan's body dimmed at a visible speed, until he could no longer even let out a wail.

When Lin Ye felt that Balan in his hand had completely slumped into a puddle of mud and was only on its last breath, he stopped moving.

He released his grip, letting Balan's body slide to the ground.

Then, he manipulated the skeletal giant, pulling back his right arm. On the giant fist composed of countless corpses, brilliant golden light and deep purple light shone simultaneously, complementing each other.

The ultimate malevolent energy and the ultimate crystallizing power merged perfectly at this moment.

He slammed his fist down at Balan's shattered head and the dying core in his chest!
This punch seemed to blast a hole in the earth.

Before the fist even arrived, the force of the punch had already caused the ground below to crack inch by inch.

After a deafening roar.

Lin Ye's fist landed precisely on Balan's chest.

There is no suspense.

The furnace core in Balan's chest, along with his entire upper body, was instantly blasted into countless flying magma fragments by this destructive force.

The residual force of Lin Ye's punch pierced through the already riddled ground below.

Centered on the point of impact, a huge cavity with a diameter of over 100 meters collapsed with a deafening roar.

The intricate lava channels and underground cavities below were completely exposed to the air.

This lord-level Molten Demon is dead beyond any doubt.

Finally, the system notification appeared in Lin Ye's mind.

[Ding! Special phase quest: Molten Core completed!]

Congratulations! You have unlocked Stage 3!

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(End of this chapter)