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

The lake was unusually calm, smooth as a mirror, with almost no ripples.

The lake water is an extremely deep, dark green that seems to absorb all light; up close, it even has a viscous, oil-like texture.

The lake's edge is lined with jagged, black rocks, forming steep cliffs or mudflats dotted with strangely shaped stones.

The cave ceiling is so high that it is almost impossible to see the top. Countless huge fungi and mineral crystals that emit a ghostly blue or pale white phosphorescence, like upside-down, cold and lifeless stars, provide a dim light source for this vast body of water.

The entire scene resembled a faded, ghostly painting, permeated with an inescapable aura of death.

Liu Nian gestured for the little fire dragon to land on a relatively flat black boulder by the lake.

He jumped off the dragon's back, walked to the water's edge, and observed carefully.

The lake water looks even stranger up close; although it appears to be liquid, it gives a viscous, heavy, and almost gelatinous feel.

He bent down, picked up a fist-sized black rock, and threw it forcefully into the center of the lake.

"puff!"

A dull thud sounded, and the ripples caused by the stone spread extremely slowly, only extending a few meters before quickly subsiding and disappearing. The lake returned to its lifeless state, as if the stone had never fallen in.

"It's definitely not ordinary water." Liu Nian narrowed his eyes slightly. He could clearly sense that the dark green lake water contained a strong aura of death, a cold negative energy, and a strange characteristic that slowly eroded life.

Even tank-type professions, without special protection, would probably not last long if they infiltrated rashly.

But Liu Nian was not afraid.

With over 30 million health points, high resistance, and damage reduction and status resistance provided by various equipment and skills, he had enough confidence to face the erosion of this lake of the dead.

However, he didn't intend to just jump down and wander around like a weight.

The underwater environment severely restricts combat effectiveness, significantly reducing the power of many ground-based skills and limiting movement.

However, the map clearly marks an ancient city of the dead submerged deep in the heart of the lake, and you can't reach that city without going in.

"Little Fire Dragon, come back." With a thought, Liu Nian recalled the dark red dragon, which was excitedly looking at the lake and seemed to want to breathe fire to test the water temperature, back into his pet space.

Then, he summoned another companion.

A flash of blue light, and a massive Echo Crab, its shell shimmering with the light of flowing water and sonic waves, appeared in the shallow water near the shore.

At level 59, it may not be outstanding in terms of level, but thanks to the terrifying HP bonus from Liu Nian, its actual survivability and damage absorption capabilities absolutely deserve the evaluation of being "incredibly tanky".

"Echo, go down and take a look," Liu Nian ordered.

However, before the echo could react, "Whoosh—!!!"

Less than ten meters from him, a seemingly calm shallow area covered with black silt on the lake shore suddenly exploded without warning! Muddy water mixed with rotting aquatic plants shot into the sky!

A grayish-white shadow, exuding a strong stench of decay and the chill of death, swiftly tore through the mud curtain and hurtled straight toward Liu Nian's face with a whooshing sound!

It was a grotesque, repulsive amphibian skeleton monster!

It roughly retains the skeletal outline of some kind of giant salamander or crocodile, but the bones are abnormally large, with many joints bursting out with ferocious bone spurs, and the spine twisted like a snake.

Within the empty eye sockets, two eerie green soul flames flickered wildly, filled with a pure desire for destruction.

【Lv.78 Decaying Predator - Skeleton Swamp Beast (Elite)】

Liu Nian reacted extremely quickly. Facing the oncoming stench and the gigantic maw of the skeleton, Liu Nian simply took half a step back to the side. At the same time, his right arm swung up like a whip and lashed out diagonally, slapping the side of the skeletal swamp beast's head as it lunged at him!

"Snap—!!!"

A crisp sound!

- 4,158,771!

The skeletal swamp beast shattered under the terrifying power of that palm strike, like a terracotta pot being smashed head-on by a battering ram!

Most of the skull, along with several sharp teeth, turned into bone fragments that scattered everywhere!

Its massive skeletal body was sent flying sideways by the force of the impact, crashing heavily onto the jagged black rocks several meters away, producing a series of cracking sounds as it completely disintegrated.

The two eerie green flames in his eyes flickered twice like candles in the wind before quickly dimming and going out.

Vulnerable.

But this sneak attack was like dropping a bomb on this silent waters of the dead, igniting the fury and murderous intent of countless slumbering souls!

"Splash splash ...

The waters along the shore of Eternal Dark Lake, which were originally as still as a graveyard, suddenly "boiled"!

Near the shore, in the crevices of the rocks, and beneath the silt... countless pale, swollen arms, fish tails with rotting flesh hanging from them, and grotesque skulls... burst forth from the water like bamboo shoots after a spring rain!

The bloated remains of the drowned, schools of skeletal fish shimmering with phosphorescence, fish-man ghosts with fish bones as their lower bodies and tattered scales and weapons still hanging from their upper bodies, and even a few armored water ghosts clad in rusted armor and wielding rusty weapons...

All sorts of undead creatures, like a swarm of sharks drawn by the scent of blood, emerged from every corner of the lake, converging into a chilling, pale wave of death that silently and frantically surged toward the shore where Liu Nian was!

They made no sound, but the icy deathly intent projected from their countless empty or soul-burning eye sockets, and the negative energy tide that gathered together, almost freezing the air, was more terrifying than any roar!

The temperature plummeted below freezing at that moment, and even the rocks on the shore were covered with a layer of white frost.

"Heh," facing the surging tide of undead emerging from the lake, Liu Nian not only did not retreat, but his eyes flashed with eagerness, "It saves me the trouble of going into the water myself."

What he fears least is quantity.

He stood still, calmly adjusting his posture, quietly waiting for the pale wave to crash onto the rocks and engulf him.

The first wave of undead finally reached the shore. The closest drowned creatures stretched out their swollen, festering arms and grabbed at his ankles; the skeletal fish swarmed like arrows, their sharp bone spikes aimed at his vitals; the armored water ghosts raised their rusty swords and slashed down with the heavy force of death...

Just as they were about to touch Liu Nian's body—

Liu Nian gently lifted his right foot, then stomped it down heavily!

The earth roared!

"Thump—!!!!"

A muffled thud erupted from beneath Liu Nian's feet!

Visible to the naked eye, the earthy yellow circular shockwave swept outwards in all directions like ripples close to the ground!

Where the shockwave passed, rocks cracked and the ground collapsed!

Those undead at the forefront, whether they were drowned corpses, skeletal fish, or water ghosts, were struck head-on by the shock as if by an invisible hammer!

"Snap! Crack! Clatter!..."

The sound of bones cracking, as dense as popping beans, filled the air!

With this stomp, dozens of undead bodies disintegrated, bones turned to dust, rotting flesh turned to black mud, and corroded armor twisted and flew away!