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

Chapter 161 Crystallized Shadow Scales Upgrade Again, Mechanism Mission!

Lin Ye slowly retracted his spear, and the golden flames burning on the spear tip gradually subsided.

This is his current power.

It was merely a [Cleave] strike infused with liquid primordial energy.

Its destructive power far exceeds that of any of his previous attacks.

On the battlefield, there was no longer a single living being able to stand.

Just then, a series of system notifications finally rang in his mind.

【叮！你击杀了LV35八臂族精锐x1，LV34石鬼族精锐x1，LV32八臂族x3，LV31石鬼族x6！】

[The Gluttony Mechanism is Activated!]

You have gained a total of 11.4 points in Strength, 12.9 points in Agility, 14.6 points in Stamina, and 2.5 points in Spirit.

[Due to the influence of the cultivation technique "True Explanation of the Two Elements of the Great Void", the experience point multiplier is now set at 180%!]

[Killing someone of a higher level triggers an extra experience reward, increasing the experience bonus by 80%!]

You have gained a total of 7729 experience points!

Lin Ye was startled.

The attribute growth brought about by the Taotie mechanism was more substantial than he had anticipated.

Just eleven alien races increased his three-dimensional attributes by more than ten points on average.

This means that even without relying on the free attribute points gained from leveling up, his strength can continue to grow simply by hunting down the alien races of the Heavenly Abyss.

This is the truly terrifying aspect of the Taotie mechanism.

However, this time, he was slightly disappointed that no new skills or traits were revealed.

However, with such a vast space inside the Nirvana Tower and a large number of alien races, he was not worried about returning empty-handed.

What truly pleased him was the efficiency with which he gained experience points.

After switching his cultivation method to the "True Explanation of the Two Elements of the Great Void," his previously locked-down experience acquisition was finally completely liberated.

With the added bonus from his cultivation technique and the reward for killing enemies above his level, the eleven alien races directly gave him nearly eight thousand experience points.

This leveling efficiency is practically lightning fast!

Lin Ye didn't linger there and turned to walk into the cave.

He dug out every single source crystal that shimmered with alluring light from the cave walls and piled them up in front of him.

He grabbed a piece and stuffed it into his mouth without hesitation.

The spicy and violent energy exploded instantly in the mouth and esophagus.

Lin Ye has gradually gotten used to the taste of this primordial crystal produced from the Heavenly Abyss Rift, and even... he's become somewhat addicted to it.

As the energy torrent formed from the source crystal rushed into his body, Lin Ye clearly felt that the original aura that had been newly generated due to the attribute growth caused by the Gluttonous Mechanism was being purified and compressed under the scouring of this energy.

Although he couldn't sense that the solid, date-pit-sized aura at the very core of his Qi Sea had noticeably grown larger.

But this process completely confirmed his suspicions.

Just like when he was in the Meridian Opening Realm, he could directly refine his Qi and blood with Source Crystals.

After entering the Condensation Realm, consuming Source Crystals will allow him to skip the arduous compression and purification process that ordinary martial artists go through.

It directly transforms the newly generated primordial energy into this unprecedented solid form.

Solid, liquid, gas.

The three forms of the Qi Sha can be freely transformed according to his will.

He is currently unable to directly mobilize solidified Qi for conventional attacks because the total amount within his body is insufficient.

The only aura he can currently utilize is liquid-state flowing aura.

That one shot had almost drained a quarter of his energy.

Ke Linye believed that as the total amount of primordial qi in his body continued to increase, one day he would be able to make the use of solid qi a regular practice.

At that time, just how terrifying will the energy he unleashes with a casual strike be?

Lin Ye was filled with anticipation.

As he pondered this, he suddenly realized that, apart from refining his original aura, another portion of the source energy that surged into his body had vanished into thin air.

Lin Ye immediately realized what was happening.

This portion of energy was absorbed by the [Silk Puppet] skill.

While continuing to devour the source crystals, he also kept an eye on the enhancement progress of the [Silk Puppet].

But as he swallowed more and more source crystals, Lin Ye's brows gradually furrowed.

Not right.

He was certain that the source crystal energy he had swallowed had not dissipated due to the saturation of the Qi.

However, the enhancement progress of the [Silk Puppet] skill is increasing too slowly.

It felt like something else was trying to steal its food.

Wait a moment……

Is something else being stolen?
A thought flashed through Lin Ye's mind without warning, causing him to pause in his swallowing.

He suddenly realized a blind spot he had never considered before.

【Crystallization】 and 【Shadow Scales】 were two temporary skills that he had already enhanced to their maximum potential when he was in the Meridian Opening Realm.

After he broke through to the Condensation Realm, did their upper limit also unlock?
Lin Ye had previously focused his efforts on further enhancing these two skills through "repeated acquisition".

For example, he could kill enough Shadowscales again, seize their cores, and repeatedly acquire the [Shadowscale] skill to enhance his existing skills.

But now it seems that things are not at all as he thought.

These powerful temporary skills seem to have a higher growth ceiling as his own realm improves.

Thinking of this, Lin Ye could no longer restrain himself.

With a thought, he switched the temporary skill activated on his personal panel from [Silk Puppet] to [Crystallization].

Then, Lin Ye felt a small portion of his surging mental energy being instantly drained away.

hum-

A familiar energy fluctuation appeared in the air in front of him.

The next moment, a purple crystal spear, almost identical in appearance to the Star Piercing Spear in his hand, materialized in mid-air!
The whole process was smooth and extremely fast!

Lin Ye's eyes lit up instantly.

call out!
The amethyst spear emitted a sharp whistling sound as it transformed into a streak of purple light and pierced fiercely into the cave wall opposite!
puff!

The solid rock wall was as fragile as tofu in the face of the sharp amethyst spearhead.

The entire spear was mostly submerged!
You've gotten stronger!
The [Crystallization] skill has become much stronger than before!
Lin Ye knew very well that before his breakthrough, he could never have condensed such a huge amethyst creation at such a fast speed.

At that time, the amethyst creations he used to attack enemies were mostly crystal spears less than half a meter long, or a large number of crystal needles.

The move he just used was almost a replica of the desperate killing move that the Crystal Spirit Clan juvenile used with all its might in the illusion.

That move even pierced his heart.

After confirming that the three temporary skills he had acquired could be further enhanced as his cultivation level broke through.

Lin Ye's brows finally relaxed completely.

【Silk Puppet】, 【Crystallization】, 【Shadow Scale】.

Each of these three skills possesses enormous potential.

He was also very curious about what earth-shattering changes would occur once they were all strengthened to the upper limit of the Condensation Realm.

Lin Ye looked at the large pile of source crystals still remaining in front of him, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

……

More than ten minutes later.

Lin Ye let out a burp.

He had already swept away all the source crystals in the cave.

He stood up and walked out of the cave.

The scene was littered with severed limbs and pieces of flesh, and the pungent smell of blood filled the air.

Lin Ye's gaze swept over the alien corpses, whose shapes were still barely discernible, and a dark glint flashed in his eyes.

The next moment, a bizarre scene unfolded.

Of the eleven mangled corpses on the ground, eight began to convulse violently, as if invisible threads were pulling at their flesh and bones.

They staggered to their feet from the pool of blood, then, in perfect unison, knelt on one knee and bowed their heads deeply towards Lin Ye.

A sense of submission and awe, originating from the depths of the soul, was clearly transmitted to Lin Ye's spiritual world through the connection of the mycelium.

The upgraded [Silk Puppet] no longer requires him to issue any complicated commands.

Each of these bodies, completely invaded by mycelium, seems to possess independent rudimentary intelligence, and holds absolute loyalty to him, the source of the mycelium, the only king.

Lin Ye issued the order.

The eight puppets, still bearing horrific holes in their bodies, immediately began to move.

They spontaneously approached the other three corpses of their kind that had not been "resurrected" and opened their mouths wide.

Countless dense black mycelia emerged from its mouth, like hungry tentacles, instantly enveloping the three corpses.

A series of teeth-grinding tearing and chewing sounds rang out.

The flesh, tendons, bones, and all usable tissues of the three corpses were devoured and absorbed by the mycelium, which then precisely filled the wounds on the eight puppets.

The entire process was bizarre and twisted, enough to cause any normal person's SAN value to plummet.

Lin Ye remained expressionless.

evil?

Perhaps in the eyes of others, his current behavior is no different from that of those legendary necromancers.

But he doesn't care.

These absolutely loyal, fearless cannon fodder are his most perfect subordinates at the moment.

Soon, the three corpses were completely consumed, leaving not even a trace of bone.

The wounds on the eight puppets had mostly healed.

Although the ugly marks of the stitching were still visible on its body, the aura it exuded was far more powerful than the three scouts that Lin Ye had created before.

Lin Ye's mind stirred.

In the arena, three newly formed eight-armed puppets and five stone demon puppets instantly engaged in a fierce battle.

"Roar!"

The Stone Goblin puppet opened its massive mouth, and an invisible sonic shockwave spread outwards.

Meanwhile, the puppets of the eight-armed race swung their multiple arms, their fists generating powerful winds that deflected all the sound waves.

Although their movements are still somewhat stiff and sluggish, each move is precise and skillful, demonstrating considerable combat capability.

Lin Ye closed his eyes and immersed most of his mind into the body of the strongest eight-armed elite puppet.

The moment he took over, the puppet's movements became several times smoother.

The sluggishness and dullness vanished instantly. Lin Ye manipulated it, its six arms becoming afterimages, its punches striking like the wind.

His combat strength has actually recovered to about 50% of what it was before he died!
Lin Ye returned his consciousness to his body, put away the Piercing Star Spear, carried it on his back, and imitated the posture of the eight-armed elite from before, assuming a fighting stance.

He threw out both fists, leaving afterimages in his wake.

In just a short time of possession and control, he actually learned most of the alien race's fighting techniques.

Unfortunately, he only has two arms, so using them doesn't have the same overwhelming presence as having six arms.

Just then, an idea popped into my head.

Lin Ye once again immersed his consciousness into the puppet of the eight-armed elite.

He tried to delve into the mycelial network to search for the remaining fragments of memory in the body.

Countless fragmented and chaotic images and sounds flooded his mind like a tide.

Lin Ye suppressed his mental discomfort and began to analyze and piece together this information.

After a long time, he finally obtained some useful information.

This eight-armed elite was named Kagu in his previous life, and was the captain of a combat squad within the tribe.

The strength of the eight-armed race is simply determined by the number of arms; those with four arms are slave soldiers or warriors.

The six-armed captains are elite, while the strongest in the tribe, according to legend, has eight arms and is revered as the chieftain.

Kagu's tribe is called the "Blood Slaughter Tribe," and their settlement is located in a huge lava canyon to the northeast.

Lin Ye was very interested in the Eight-Armed Clan's racial characteristics, which allowed them to suppress local evil spirits and martial arts spirituality.

If we can get our hands on it, the boost to our combat power will be substantial.

Lin Ye slowly opened his eyes and looked towards the distant northeast.

After a moment's thought, Lin Ye made a decision.

He immediately issued three clear instructions to the eight puppets under his command.

First, activities are conducted within a 50-kilometer radius, centered on him.

This is the maximum range within which his silk puppet can currently function.

Second, search for the source crystal at all costs, mine it immediately after finding it, and bring it back to him.

Third, if you encounter any enemy, whether it is another alien race from the Heavenly Abyss or a trainee from the training camp, retreat immediately to avoid combat.

As soon as the command was given, the eight figures scattered and disappeared into the vast black wasteland.

The elite Stone Goblin puppet with bat wings on its back also flapped its wings and flew into the sky.

But this time, at Lin Ye's command, it flew close to the twisted, dead trees on the ground, perfectly concealing its form in the shadows.

These puppets became his extended eyes and ears.

Lin Ye himself slowed down, no longer pursuing extreme speed, but began to try to control the surging power within his body more precisely.

He decided that when he encountered enemies again, he would limit himself as much as possible if he could win easily, and only use just the right amount of power to defeat them.

"Squeak—!!"

Before he had gone far, a sharp, piercing scream suddenly came from high above.

Lin Ye raised his head.

A stone goblin circling in the sky spotted him.

Almost simultaneously, heavy footsteps and the sound of the ground shaking came from several different directions in the distance.

These were other Stone Golems who came to provide support after receiving a signal from the aerial sentries.

Lin Ye's heart stirred.

He currently has one temporary skill that hasn't been tested yet.

Perfect, I'll use you guys to test my new skills.

He had a thought in his mind.

hum!
A layer of hard, dense scales, as black as night, grew from under his skin in less than a fraction of a second, completely covering him from head to toe.

【Shadow Scale】!
boom!
The elite Stone Demon Clan member swooped down from the sky, its claws whistling as it viciously attacked the spot where Lin Ye had just stood.

But it missed.

Sharp claws ploughed deep furrows into the hard obsidian ground, sending sparks flying.

At the same time, from four other directions, four burly stone golems emerged from behind the pile of rocks, surrounding the area.

But their faces were filled with genuine confusion.

What about people?

How could a perfectly healthy person who was just standing there suddenly vanish into thin air in the blink of an eye?
At this moment, the blood-red sun in the sky is blazing.

Lin Ye made no attempt to conceal his presence; in fact, he continued to move at high speed.

But these few Stone Golems seemed to have become blind.

Lin Ye's figure vanished completely right before their eyes, leaving no trace, not even a hint of his presence.

This is the enhanced [Shadow Scale]!
There was no need for a dimly lit environment, and there were no restrictions or requirements placed on Lin Ye.

As long as he wants.

By covering himself with shadow scales, he could truly become invisible!
Five barely perceptible golden streaks of light flashed and disappeared in the air.

The four stone golems, who were still looking around, suddenly froze, and a small hole appeared on their hideous heads.

They didn't even realize where the enemy was before they were instantly killed, falling straight down.

At the same time, the elite Stone Goblin Clan warrior in the sky also fell down.

Lin Ye held back.

If he wanted to, those few bursts of fierce energy could have blown him to the head.

Lin Ye has at least left them with a complete corpse.

Lin Ye's figure slowly appeared not far away, and the black scales on his body faded away.

He walked to the five brand-new corpses and, without the slightest hesitation, precisely implanted a large number of black spores, invisible to the naked eye, into their bodies.

The mycelium inside the puppets he sends out will be constantly depleted as they move, and there will always be a day when it is exhausted.

To maintain this army, it is necessary to continuously replenish it with new soldiers.

And in this cruel world of alien races, what is least lacking is corpses.

These corpses could become his omnipresent eyes and ears!

……

Six hours later.

Lin Ye's figure appeared in a darker and more eerie forest of dead trees.

The trees here were taller than any he had ever seen before, their dark trunks covered with jagged knots, stretching menacingly toward the dark red sky.

The sulfurous smell in the air grew stronger, mixed with the stench of rotting plants, and when inhaled, it brought a pungent, burning sensation to the lungs.

Looking up, the outline of the huge active volcano in the distance was clearly visible, its black plume of smoke, which blotted out the sky, resembled a giant pillar connecting heaven and earth.

The dark red lava flowing down the mountain exudes a chilling aura, even from a great distance.

The light of day is rapidly fading.

Lin Ye had already completely left the relatively safe area near the entrance of the rift several hours ago.

He stuffed the last piece of source crystal into his mouth, feeling that familiar, violent energy explode within his body.

Lin Ye's brows furrowed slightly.

In those six hours, he gained very little.

His puppet army has expanded to ten, constantly searching for him within a 60-kilometer radius.

But as he went deeper, those source crystal veins seemed to have disappeared, becoming increasingly difficult to find.

Even the few pieces he just swallowed were taken by him personally from a patrol of eight-armed tribe members.

As the last bit of source energy was completely absorbed by the golden aura within his dantian, Lin Ye felt that the three temporary skills—Crystallization, Shadow Scale, and Silk Puppet—seemed to have undergone another transformation.

However, this improvement could not alleviate the slight anxiety in Lin Ye's heart.

too slow.

While maintaining contact with the puppet army, they cautiously advanced, killing scattered alien races and searching for the elusive source crystals.

Too many tasks, too many goals.

This greatly slowed him down.

Lin Ye raised his right hand, and a string of numbers was flashing on the light screen projected from the bracelet.

[Remaining time: 02:47:13]

He had been inside the Nirvana Tower for more than nine hours.

The stay, which cost 200 credits, is now reduced to less than three hours.

When the time comes, he will be forcibly teleported out due to the spatial folding effect.

If you want to come back next time, you'll have to pay another 200 credits.

Thinking of this, the hesitation in Lin Ye's eyes vanished.

He temporarily removed the two objectives from his mind: searching for source crystals and hunting down scattered alien races.

Let the Blood Slaughter Tribe have the rest of the time.

There are a large number of eight-armed people there.

Maybe there are source crystals too.

The next moment, Lin Ye had a thought.

In his mental world, those ten links that were closely connected to him were ruthlessly severed in an instant!

The ten puppets, scattered over an area of ​​tens of kilometers, suddenly stiffened, then collapsed to the ground like puppets without strings, completely losing their life force.

Abandoning these burdens, which are far slower than him and severely slow down his progress, is for the sake of a faster breakthrough.

Lin Ye's body sank slightly, the muscles in his legs tensed instantly, and the internal energy flowed to his feet!
boom--! !

A deafening explosion rang out behind him!
The ground beneath their feet, covered in volcanic ash, was instantly ripped open by the terrifying impact, creating a huge crater. The violent shockwave whipped up clouds of dust, forming a ring-shaped white sonic barrier.

Lin Ye's figure transformed once again into a jet-black arrow that tore through the air, hurtling towards the location of the Blood Slaughter Tribe from his memory!

Just as his speed reached its peak.

A series of system notification sounds rang in his mind without warning!
[Ding! Host detected actively exploring high-risk, unknown areas. A challenging mission has been issued!]

[Mission Name: Assassination Showdown!]

[Mission Objective: Enter the Bloodlust Tribe Canyon and assassinate Chief Kagrosh of the Bloodlust Tribe without alerting more than ten Eight-Armed Tribe members.]

[Mission Rewards: 15 Experience Points, 5 Skill Points!]

[Special Reward: Randomized mechanism.]

　Second update. Today is the last day of the month, and any unused monthly tickets will be gone tomorrow!

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(End of this chapter)