Absolute Death Game

"No way, a Dark Gold BOSS in a white-color copy? How ridiculous is that?" The group of five looked at the BOSS's name and appearance and were all completely dumbfounded.

This bizarre situation and outrageous encounter left everyone frozen in place, unsure of what to do next.

However, Xiao Buli was not among those who were startled, and although he too was a bit scared due to his deep involvement, after a brief moment of confusion, he immediately began to analyze the situation coolly.

(A Dark Gold BOSS in a white-color copy? And it's clearly a god-level BOSS. Under normal circumstances, this is impossible. The most likely reason is that this is a prelude copy, similar to Akahata Temple in World of Warcraft, where the shadow of the Evil God Haka had appeared. The shadow's power is completely different from the actual Evil God's strength.

But even that doesn't quite add up, right? Even if it's an avatar or projection of the Ancient God, surely we five can't handle it now? It doesn't match the color grade of the copy at all. Or maybe this phantom is just an illusion? With no offensive power? Just to convey a message?

Yes, that's very possible.)

Although not entirely certain, Xiao Buli decides it's best to hold still and not take any rash actions regardless.

"Everyone, stay calm. Don't do anything reckless. There should be more to the story," he shouted into the microphone.

After hearing Xiao Buli's words, everyone calmed down somewhat and watched quietly to see what would happen. True enough, the phantom of the Ancient God did not attack them. It didn't even glance at them. Instead, it turned its attention to the sacrificial cultist.

A heavy and muffled voice, as if coming from deep beneath the earth, echoed throughout the entire dungeon.

Zhurong (Ancient God): "Foolish mortals, do you think such a pitiful offering can summon my power? Pay the price for your ignorance!"

The phantom casually pointed, and a red lightning bolt instantly struck the sacrificial cultist.

He let out a blood-curdling scream, and in an instant, his entire body went up in flames, turning into a humanoid figure of fire.

Painful Torment Fire Spirit (Elemental Mutant): a deep blue-named creature.

Seeing its own work, the huge phantom seemed quite pleased. Suddenly, with a boom, the fire seemed to burn through all its energy and, along with the bodies surrounding it, turned into a pile of ash in an instant, and the phantom disappeared.

All that remained was the Elemental Mutant, still burning and emitting light and heat, while screaming its lungs out.

Painful Torment Fire Spirit (Elemental Mutant): "Ah—do you see—ah,—this is the power of the Ancient Gods!—ah, it's so hot, hahaha!"

The sound was both a scream and a laugh, piercing to the ear and making one's spine chill.

But not having to face a Dark Gold, god-level BOSS made the noise seem less terrifying.

Fortunately, it turned out that this creature was the BOSS. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Seeing that the situation was back within his control, Xiao Buli spoke, "Wu Tao, pull the aggro. Everyone, be careful. This type of Elemental Monster should have some special abilities since it's our first time facing it."

The five had already spread out and surrounded it, but Liu Zhonglin did not join the fight; holding his knife, he merely watched coldly from the side.

This encounter indeed confirmed Xiao Buli's prediction: the Fire Elemental received only half of the physical damage a normal creature would take, and it was completely immune to fire damage—not only was it unhurt, but it also absorbed fire for healing. However, it received double damage from Ice Element spells.

Xiao Buli's Ice Talisman could take off more than fifty health points in one hit, making him the top damage dealer, while Bai Yunfei's Ghost Fire Skills not only couldn't reduce the BOSS's health but also healed it. Left with no choice, he ceased casting and let the Blood Corpse engage in melee combat, while he watched the excitement from the side.

The others also switched to melee attacks. Although it was slow, it was better than nothing.

The BOSS's damage was mainly based on the Fire Element, and its Flame Armor continually inflicted damage on the surrounding players. Thankfully, the damage wasn't very high, and they could withstand it.

Giant Fireballs flew towards the party one after another, not only dealing massive damage but also including a splash effect that made everyone dodge frantically. Occasionally, it would unleash a wave of fire shockwave, but thanks to the Priest's casting time, everyone managed to avoid being hit by a nimble positioning.

After a good five minutes of fighting, the BOSS's health points gradually depleted.

Painful Torment Fire Spirit (Elemental Mutant): "My blood, my spirit, burn them all, let everything burn!"

The BOSS's body suddenly turned from reddish to bright white and began to swell. Xiao Buli immediately had a bad feeling, (Are we going to hang? No, that thing is going to self-destruct!)

"Run," he managed to shout just those two words before a loud explosion engulfed the Blood Corpses, Talisman Soldiers, and Niu Dazhuang—everyone else had already sensed the danger and fled in advance.

The explosion was incredibly powerful, dealing nearly 300 points of fire damage to units at the core and varying amounts of splash damage to those further away, outright killing several members of the Evil Cult.

"Damn, that was intense. My Blood Corpse got one-shot! Thank goodness I ran fast," said Bai Yunfei with lingering fear.

"Oh no, my minions seem to have died too," cried Yaoyao, but just as the words left her mouth, a charred figure squeezed out from the ashes—it was none other than Niu Dazhuang, who, despite the ordeal, had survived, thanks to his thick skin.

Xiao Buli did a headcount and, finding that no one had died except for the Talisman Soldiers and the Blood Corpses, he sighed with relief. His Maoqiu had stayed by his side the whole time, never even being summoned into play.

He swept the mouse over the ground and found that the pile of ashes was the BOSS's corpse, which could be looted. Clicking it revealed three dropped items.

The first one:

Sacrificial Book of the Ancient Gods: (Using this item can trigger a quest).

Item Description: Made of unknown material and filled with hieroglyphs from the Ancient Era, it exudes a mysterious aura.

The second one:

Fire Elemental Crystal Core: An Energy Crystal Core unique to Elemental Creatures, usable in Forging equipment, Jewelry Crafting, Refining Treasures, and more.

The third one:

Ring of Fire Source (Deep Blue - Ring): Fire Element Spell Power +10.

Equipment Description: A ring set with a crimson gemstone, it seems to contain the power of flame within it.

Xiao Buli gave the items a once-over and said, "I'll take the ring, if no one minds," Xiao Buli finished saying and glanced at the others. No one objected, as it was clearly gear for Mage Professions.

(Actually, the Five Elements Warlock Du Yibo would be more suitable for it, but who cares.) Xiao Buli thought to himself as he allocated the ring to himself.

"Let's sell the Fire Elemental Crystal Core and divide the money. As for this Sacrificial Book of the Ancient Gods, how should we distribute it?" Read new adventures at empire

PS: I had planned to burst out with updates yesterday, but my brain just wasn't cooperating. However, don't worry, I will definitely have a three-day burst of updates this month, Mike keeps his word; it's just uncertain which day it will start on. (To be continued. If you like this work, please support me by casting your recommendation votes and monthly votes at Qidian (qidian.com).

Your support is my greatest motivation.)