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

Chapter 178 Doomsday Volcano, Molten Demon Lord!
Just as Lin Ye was pondering, a strong sense of crisis brought him back to his senses.

He then retreated several steps at an extremely fast speed.

The next moment, the charred ground in front of him, which looked perfectly normal, suddenly exploded.

Three red tentacles, resembling tentacles formed from molten lava, burst forth from the ground with a whooshing sound that tore through the air, reaching out towards the ankles where he had just stood.

Lin Ye's eyes remained completely calm.

It was exactly the same as when we were ambushed by the Shadowscale Clan in the occupied area last time.

Just now, in his field of vision, a red area marked "LV.41" suddenly appeared on the open ground in front of him.

He instantly realized that it wasn't an empty lot.

Or rather, a level 41 monster is hiding beneath the open space.

Scalding lava gushed out from the blasted hole in the ground, and a ferocious monster slowly emerged from it.

Although Lin Ye had seen the Molten Demon Clan in the illusion created by Yin Liulan before, this was the first time he had observed them so closely.

This molten demon was about 2.5 meters tall, with a hunched back and a strange humanoid form.

His back was high and bulging, like a miniature volcano, constantly radiating heat outwards.

Its skin is covered with a layer of dark red, crystalline keratin, and deep within the cracks shines a magma-like light.

Most striking is the basketball-sized furnace core embedded in the center of its chest, where liquid magma can be clearly seen flowing slowly, like a beating heart.

Its head resembles a ferocious giant python, and the ends of its arms fork into three flexible yet deadly lava tentacles.

The moment this Molten Demon appeared, two smaller members of its kind emerged from the lava pool behind it.

These two Molten Demons were at the same level as Lin Ye, only LV38.

Neither its size nor the oppressive aura it exudes is nearly as powerful as the first one.

Lin Ye was startled.

Judging from the strength feedback from the mental energy detection, those two Molten Demons, who were at the same level as him, were definitely not ordinary grunts.

The reason why the Molten Demon Clan was able to occupy the core area of ​​the entire Tianyuan Fragment is that even their ordinary individuals were strong enough to be rated as elite.

The true elite of the LV.41 in front of him is probably as strong as the eight-armed tribe leaders he killed before.

"hiss--"

The three Molten Demons simultaneously let out a piercing screech, and without the slightest hesitation, they sank into the lava beneath their feet and disappeared.

In Lin Ye's field of vision, three red markers indicating their levels were moving at high speed underground, encircling him from three different directions.

The next second, two of the icons suddenly rose to the top.

The ground to Lin Ye's left suddenly exploded, and an ordinary Lava Demon burst out of the ground, its six lava tentacles transforming into countless whip shadows that lashed out at him.

At the same time, it opened its huge mouth and spewed out a scorching breath mixed with sulfurous fumes.

Lin Ye neither dodged nor avoided; golden aura condensed into a barrier, completely isolating the dragon's breath.

Then, he swung the Star Piercing Spear upwards and precisely struck one of the tentacles.

The tentacle instantly exploded into a cloud of scorching blood mist.

Lin Ye also heard a strange cry of pain.

At that very instant, the ground to Lin Ye's right rear also exploded.

Another Molten Demon launched a coordinated attack, aiming directly at his back.

Lin Ye snorted coldly, released the gun barrel with his left hand, and slapped it backward with his right.

A massive purple crystal wall materialized out of thin air, precisely blocking the sneak attack.

"boom!"

The lava tentacles slammed into the crystal wall with a dull thud. The high temperature melted a small hole in the surface of the crystal wall, but it ultimately blocked the impact.

Just as Lin Ye was dealing with the pincer attack from two Molten Demons, the LV.41 elite finally made its move.

A dangerous red light suddenly appeared on the ground beneath Lin Ye's feet.

He exerted force with both legs, and his whole body soared into the sky.

The instant he jumped, a pillar of lava fire, more than three meters in diameter, shot up from the ground, grazing his feet and gushing into the sky.

In mid-air, the furnace core on the chest of the LV.41 Molten Demon elite shone brightly.

As if summoned, the surrounding magma transformed into dozens of magma balls the size of human heads, like a dense barrage of artillery fire, covering the airborne Lin Ye.

Faced with this multi-faceted attack from all directions, a fierce glint flashed in Lin Ye's eyes.

The purple crystal armor on his body changed instantly, with countless fine crystallized prisms standing upside down, and then shooting out in all directions like a rainstorm.

Ding-ding-ding-ding!

The dense crystallized prisms collided with the magma sphere in mid-air, bursting into a series of dazzling sparks.

Taking advantage of this gap, Lin Ye twisted his body in mid-air, channeling his inner energy into his legs, and bursting with speed, appearing directly in front of the elite Molten Demon Clan member.

The molten demon clearly hadn't expected him to be so fast, but its reaction was equally swift. Its six tentacles instantly retreated to defend itself, while its body sank towards the underground lava pool.

Still want to run?
Lin Ye's eyes were cold, and the Piercing Star Spear transformed into a golden lightning bolt, striking first despite being behind.

puff!
The spear tip pierced the serpentine head of the elite Molten Demon without any resistance, and the domineering aura instantly erupted, turning his brain into a mess.

[You have defeated a Molten Demon (Elite) LV.41, gaining 5580 experience points!]

[Gluttony mechanic triggered! You have gained Strength +3.5, Stamina +3.1, Agility +2.2, and Spirit +0.4!]

[You have gained a special attribute: Fire Attribute Energy Affinity +3.9!]

With the strongest Molten Demon instantly killed, the remaining two LV.39 Molten Demons let out an angry roar and their attacks became even more frenzied.

Lin Ye switched his temporary skill from Crystallization to Shadow Scale.

Black scales covered his entire body, insulating him from most of the surrounding high temperatures.

He no longer held back, his figure moving like a ghost, weaving between the two Molten Demons.

Golden light flashed, and the spear shot out like a dragon.

The battle ended in less than ten seconds.

This time, Taotie once again sent a notification that he had gained a special attribute.

Fire attribute energy affinity.

With the emergence of this attribute, he could clearly feel that the scorching, suffocating air around him seemed to have become much milder.

It was no longer a burning sensation, but rather a subtle, almost imperceptible, sense of intimacy.

This is both a degree of affinity and a form of indirect resistance.

After pondering for a moment, Lin Ye realized that after reaching level 38, he could clearly feel that the efficiency of gaining experience points through the puppet army was starting to decline.

The main reason is that his level has basically reached or even surpassed that of the Stone Goblin Clan and the Eight-Armed Clan in the outer region.

it's time.

He now finally has the qualifications to challenge that LV.45 Molten Demon Lord.

Lin Ye closed his eyes and, through the mycelial network, issued a core command to all the puppets that had been scattered outside—

Head to his location and assemble!
At the same time, Lin Ye did not waste any time.

He continued to explore deeper into the volcano while actively hunting down the Molten Demons he encountered along the way, increasing his fire affinity.

The world within the fragments of the Heavenly Abyss is far too vast.

A full day later, when Lin Ye stood on the edge of a fractured lava canyon, he finally saw his army.

A dark, massive army of the dead surged from the horizon like a black tide.

After a long journey and sporadic battles along the way, the number of puppets under his command was eventually reduced to just over three thousand.

Nearly half of the puppets perished completely without receiving energy replenishment from the mycelium.

Lin Ye could only try his best to preserve the stronger main combat forces.

At the same time, he also discovered that when these puppets entered this area dominated by lava and fire, their activity level decreased significantly and their strength was weakened.

Back in the occupied zone, the method he used to kill that fungal-born skeleton king was fire.

Fire is the natural nemesis of these mycelia.

However, Lin Ye didn't expect them to provide much direct help in his upcoming battles.

Looking at the assembled undead army, he issued a new core command—search!
A thorough search was conducted in the area centered on him.

There is only one goal.

Find the LV.45 Molten Demon Lord, Balan.

Half an hour later, Lin Ye, who was fighting two Molten Demons, suddenly stopped.

Just now, a small team of puppets composed of eight-armed beings was instantly melted into ashes after transmitting their last images.

Through that brief and blurry image, Lin Ye found the hiding place of his target.

Inside the entire Doomsday Volcano, in a huge underground cavity, lies a vast lava lake.

That Molten Demon Lord is right there!

Deep within Lin Ye's pupils, countless fine black mycelium flashed by.

He was cautious.

Although he had taken back the main force of the puppet army, he left behind the puppets that he had previously deployed in various places as signal relay stations to expand his control range.

……

An area covered with wind-eroded rock pillars.

Dongfang Zhen was surrounded by lightning. With a sweeping strike of his lightning halberd, he blasted a Stone Ghost Clan elite away. Then, he saw a Stone Ghost Clan member with strange behavior flying in from the sky.

On the other side, in a quiet canyon.

Zhang Daoxuan sheathed his sword and stood there. On the ground in front of him lay the corpse of an eight-armed tribesman, neatly cut in half.

He looked up at the top of a cliff in the distance, where an elite member of the Stone Goblin Clan stood silently, his empty eyes meeting his gaze.

Just as Dongfang Zhen and Zhang Daoxuan were preparing to deal with the newly appeared Stone Ghost Clan.

The two strangely behaving Stone Demon elites opened their mouths at the same time.

A hoarse, dry voice came from its mouth.

"Brother Dongfang..."

"Brother Daoxuan..."

"It's me, Lin Ye."

Dongfang Zhen's face instantly showed astonishment, then he exclaimed with delight, "Brother Lin Ye! It really is you! What kind of spiritual power do you have that allows you to control alien races to speak?"

"I'll explain everything to you properly later."

"There is an urgent matter now."

Lin Ye's voice, transmitted through the puppet, was solemn and urgent.

"I encountered a Lord-level alien in the core area of ​​the Doomsday Volcano."

"I can't handle this by myself, I need your help."

"If it's convenient for you, please come along."

After the Stone Goblin elite finished speaking, they made no further moves.

With a flap of its wings, it soared into the sky and flew away into the distance without looking back.

"Brother Lin Ye! Wait a minute..." Dongfang Zhen called out subconsciously, but the Stone Ghost Clan had already turned into a black dot on the horizon.

After a moment's thought, Dongfang Zhen smiled.

Are they lord-level alien races from the Heavenly Abyss?
He had never fought before, which suited him perfectly!

He was very grateful to Lin Ye for this good thing and for inviting him along.

The next moment, Dongfang Zhen transformed into a streak of lightning and sped toward the core area.

Meanwhile, on the other side.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Daoxuan's face also showed surprise.

However, his ideas differed from Dongfang Zhen's.

A lord-level alien from the Heavenly Abyss is definitely not something a martial artist at the Condensation Realm can kill.

Even if it were Lin Ye, even if the three of them joined forces, it wouldn't work.

The next moment, Zhang Daoxuan made his final decision.

He pressed the red button on his right wristband, triggering the spatial folding device.

A blue light flashed, and only the whistling wind remained where Zhang Daoxuan had been; he had vanished without a trace.

He was going to report this matter to Yin Liulan.

Zhang Daoxuan had no idea what level of strength this head instructor of the training camp had reached.

However, given that he has been unable to detect it with his mental power so far, it is at least at the Divine Realm.

With the help of these instructors, this strategy can be considered a sure thing.

……

Meanwhile, in the core area of ​​Doomsday Volcano.

The message has been sent.

The exact location of the Molten Demon Lord has also been found.

But Lin Ye didn't rush in impulsively.

While it's important to call for reinforcements, you also need to be well-prepared yourself.

He knew very well that the undead army composed of the Stone Goblin Clan and the Eight-Armed Clan would be much less effective in combat here.

If you want to build a truly combat-ready army here, the only option is to use local resources.

However, the physical structure of the Molten Demon race is a major problem.

The core of their furnaces is incredibly hot, even their blood is like boiling water, making it impossible for mycelium to grow normally inside.

The only way is to use several times more mycelium than usual to forcibly invade and parasitize, and to achieve control before the core heat of the Molten Demon completely burns the mycelium.

This consumption is enormous.

But the returns are also considerable.

Another half day has passed.

Lin Ye's massive army, which originally consisted of more than three thousand corpses, has now been reduced to less than eight hundred.

But these eight hundred puppets exuded an aura far more terrifying than before.

More than half of them were newly transformed Molten Demon puppets, with strands of black threads faintly visible beneath their dark red, crystalline skin.

The rest were all elites or leaders of the Stone Ghost Clan and Eight-Armed Clan, carefully selected by Lin Ye.

The tactic of overwhelming numbers has now been transformed into an elite tactic.

Lin Ye even discovered that the mycelium inside the controlled Molten Demon puppets had also undergone adaptive mutations.

The hyphae only exist in the joints and tendons of their bodies where the temperature is relatively low, and are almost non-existent in blood and body fluids. They only grow and reproduce when needed.

In addition, the fire resistance of the mycelium itself seems to have been utilized by Lin Ye through natural selection.

Some varieties with higher resistance have emerged.

In conclusion, these Molten Demons will be one of the main forces in the subsequent battles.

Everything is ready.

Looking at the elite army that had assembled before him, Lin Ye gave the order to clear the way.

He was confident that even if he couldn't defeat the Molten Demon Lord by himself, he could easily hold out until the others arrived, thanks to his army and his own strength.

Even if they hadn't come, it wouldn't have been difficult for Lin Ye to run away if he couldn't win.

Lin Ye looked up at the doomsday volcano that stretched from the sky to the ground; it was so enormous that it inspired awe.

It's hard to imagine just how massive the lava chamber below it is.

Lin Ye had no doubt that if this thing were to erupt completely, it would be enough to cause an apocalyptic disaster.

Inside the cave, a wave of heat hit you, and the air was filled with the pungent smell of sulfur and toxic gases.

As Lin Ye went deeper, he discovered that the entire underground space resembled a complex maze, with numerous traces of artificial excavation.

It is likely that the Molten Demons modified and reinforced the natural cave.

Along the way, Lava Demons emerged from the rock walls or underground lava flows, attempting to block the way.

But in front of Lin Ye, these scattered resistances seemed pale and powerless, and were quickly torn to pieces. Then, under the parasitic influence of the black mycelium, they stood up unsteadily and joined Lin Ye's group.

After one hour.

Lin Ye walked through a narrow passageway, and suddenly the view opened up before him.

A vast underground space, seemingly endless, appeared before him.

Below, a churning, boiling sea of ​​lava rises, the entire space so hot it could melt steel.

The puppet army behind him began to grow restless; the mycelium within them was consuming energy at an alarming rate in this extreme environment.

Lin Ye's gaze pierced through the distorted air and landed in the center of the lava lake.

There, a colossal object captured his entire attention.

Most of its body is submerged in lava, and the exposed part alone is ten meters high.

At his chest, a massive furnace core was emitting a dark red light. Although the light was not as bright as that of the other Molten Demons, it exuded a chilling pressure.

Its head has deviated from the characteristics of a simple snake; its ferocious head even has two tangled and rugged horns, making it look more like a dragon living in myths and legends.

Its body appears to have been completely elementalized, with its skin being flowing lava, making it impossible to discern any physical form.

What is most eye-catching is the huge, completely black stone pillar behind it.

The stone pillar was covered with runes that Lin Ye couldn't understand, and it was deeply embedded in the bottom of the lava lake, with the other end directly connected to the mountain above.

Countless equally black chains extended from the stone pillar, tightly binding its body.

These stone pillars and chains, made of an unknown material, were able to withstand the onslaught of lava.

But at this moment, the chains binding its eight lava arms were mostly broken, and the chains wrapped around its core were also full of cracks, looking like they were in imminent danger.

【LV.45 Molten Demon Lord - Balan】

[Evolutionary Level: 2.2]

A line of system labels, as red as blood, appeared, the color making Lin Ye's eyelids twitch.

Their evolutionary level is even higher than that of the Crystal Spirits.

This means that if his strength had not been sealed, he would still be at his peak.

To be on par with human martial artists is to reach the divine realm or higher.

They have even entered the Celestial Realm.

(End of this chapter)