Full health is the kill threshold, no matter if you're a god or a demon!

Under the watchful eyes of everyone—

"Splash splash splash splash..."

The five-meter-tall, azure ice coffin collapsed instantly, as if all its support had been removed, turning into a pile of crystalline ice shards devoid of any magical energy.

Inside the ice coffin, the lich skeleton, which had been holding its robes aloft, shattered inch by inch, mixing with the ice shards until they were indistinguishable from each other.

Only a faint, hollow echo, seemingly coming from an extremely distant other side of time and space, drifted intermittently through the shaking hall:

"Return...forever..."

A dazzling golden system notification, like a triumphant symphony, suddenly unfolded in the center of all players' vision!

[World Announcement! In the name of the Holy Light, we proclaim glory! Human players on Earth have successfully slain the legendary boss "Guardian Lich Kel'Garderos" in Anaxiasim! A legendary feat accomplished! All participating players will receive a 10-level boost, +200000 World Reputation, and a 200% experience gain bonus for all Earth players for three days! May the Holy Light shine forever!]

[World Announcement! ...]

[World Announcement! ...]

After the announcement was repeated three times, players started asking questions in the world chat:

Which race is the human race from Earth?

"I don't know, I've never heard of that before..."

"Is it a newly promoted faction? No, the latest promotion war hasn't even started yet, has it?"

"I checked, and it's a faction that hasn't been upgraded yet."

"What? A faction that hasn't been upgraded can encounter a legendary boss? And even kill it?"

"Although it's not common, it's not impossible if everyone is level 99."

"I'm afraid the casualties will be huge!"

"Something's unusual!"

"Hehe, looks like none of you know, right? This must have spawned in a secret realm."

"What did the big boss say?"

"There's a hidden rule in the secret realm; it's dynamically adjusted based on the strength of the strongest person who enters."

"There's such a saying? How come I've never encountered it?"

"The one above didn't explain clearly; not all secret realms are like this."

"What kind of secret realm is that??"

"Send me the money, and I'll tell you for 1 million."

"..."

"So, there are figures among the humans of this blue planet who rival legendary figures?"

"More than that, right? What do you think it is that can kill a legendary-level opponent?"

"Hiss!! Could it be...?"

"Is a new, transcendent force about to emerge?"

"This is getting interesting."

……

At this moment, the Blue Star faction's communication channels were also shocked.

"Holy crap! It's been announced on the world stage! I'm so incredibly awesome!"

"Who is it? Which powerful figure?"

"No way! We had no idea..."

"I asked Boss Wang Mian, but he didn't know either..."

"All players on Earth will receive a 200% experience boost for three days! Thank you so much, big shot!"

"Thanks to the anonymous expert~~~"

……

The channels for pigmen, ratmen, and goblins were also filled with surprise and uncertainty.

Pigman:

"Humans from Earth? Aren't they just that weakling faction that wants to fight us in an ascension war?"

"How could they possibly be on the world's news list?"

What is a legendary boss?

Rat Man:

"I told you we couldn't ally with the pigmen! See? See?"

"So humans aren't as weak as the pig-men claim!"

"Damn it, I'd better not mess with them again..."

Goblin:

"I knew we couldn't beat him, not because we're weak!"

"Reporting, Commander! We've tried several times but haven't succeeded..."

The Eagle Clan's channel was silent; no one spoke.

Among the Demon Bear clan, some said, "It has nothing to do with us. As long as you don't provoke us, we don't need to worry about it."

At this moment, Wang Mian was already contacting Wu Zhan: "Boss Wu Zhan, is that you?"

"Mmm," Wu Zhan replied. "Luckily, luckily!"

It was really lucky that Wu Zhan didn't show off this time; if it weren't for Liu Nian, he would have basically blown up!

At this point, the global announcement ended, but the on-site announcements continued:

[Item drops are being tallied...]

[Obtained: Skill Book: Dragon Seal of Myriad Frontiers (Legendary)]

[Obtained: Skill Book: Resurrection of Bones (Epic)]

[Obtained: Skill Book: Undead Legion (Epic)]

[Acquired: Skill Book: Twin Casting (Epic)]

[Obtained: Frostheart (Legendary Material)]

[Obtained: Lich's Life Box Fragment x5 (Special Quest Item)]

[Obtained: Kel'Gardros' Frost Robe (Legendary Cloth Chest Armor)]

[Obtained: Eternal Ice Crystal (Legendary Enchantment Material) x12]

[Obtained: Ancient Knowledge Scroll ×33]

[Scrolling list of more gold coins, materials, and equipment...]

With the complete annihilation of the lich and the flood of system notifications, the surviving players seemed to have their last bit of strength drained away, collapsing to the ground, weapons falling from their hands, gasping for breath.

Cold sweat had already soaked through their inner lining, and lingering fear surged like a tide, causing their limbs to tremble slightly.

That was too dangerous.

That was fucking close!

Just one second left!

If Liu Nian hadn't destroyed the energy core at the critical moment, they would all be lying on the ground now, staring at the gray death settlement screen.

If these people die, there's no doubt that the alliance with the Eagle Clan will most likely fall apart, and the probability of the upgraded war collapsing is as high as 90%... It can basically be declared a failure in advance.

The heavy price, the unbearable fear, the relief of surviving the ordeal, the pride of the world announcement, and the abundant rewards... all intertwined in everyone's heart.

Not far away, the crimson-gold light slowly receded and faded.

The monstrous, ferocious body shrank and returned to normal as if time had reversed. The bone spurs retracted, the fur disappeared, and the swollen muscles returned to normal.

A few seconds later, Liu Nian appeared before everyone, kneeling on one knee.

He was breathing heavily, each breath accompanied by hot, white vapor, and sweat mixed with blood dripped from his chin.

Just now, he also felt extremely uncertain.

At this moment, the spot where the azure energy core had been suspended was now just an empty base fixed in place by a complex mechanical arm.

In the center of the base, an energy sphere about the size of a heart, with an unstable, dark blue aura flowing around it and a miniature nebula seemingly rotating and collapsing inside, floats quietly half a meter off the ground.

Even though they were dozens of meters apart, and even though they had just experienced a fierce battle and their senses were dulled, everyone could still clearly feel the energy fluctuations emanating from that small ball. It was more violent, more unstable, and more... pure than when the lich was around.

It's like a star's heart forcibly ripped from a precision instrument, exposed to the air, radiating destructive light and heat, and a chilling pressure that makes one's soul tremble.

Liu Nian wiped the mixture of sweat and blood from his face, propped himself up on his knees, and slowly stood up. He walked step by step toward the core of psionic energy.

The closer you get, the more terrifying the oppressive aura becomes.

The air was scorched and distorted by the radiation of extreme energy, producing a series of crackling and subtle popping sounds.

A stinging pain, like being pricked by needles, came from high-concentration energy particles bombarding the skin.

Every step forward felt like fighting against an invisible energy storm.

When he finally reached the base, reached out, and tried to touch the restless, dark blue sphere—

A bright red system warning popped up, blocking his view from the core!

[Warning! High concentration of unstable psionic energy detected! If not collected within 30 seconds, this core will collapse into a black hole.]

Contact with the 'Unstable Psionic Core' will subject you to continuous high-energy particle streams and psionic radiation!

[Estimated damage: 1000 health points lost per second (remains active even when placed in inventory).]

[Has contact been confirmed? Yes/No]