The Bamboo Viper Snake King opened with Sweep the Army. Its massive tail swept across the ground, snapping small trees and sending grass clippings flying. Ye Luo, who had moved slightly closer to attack, was caught within its range. Thanks to her increased range, Yan Hua Yi Leng stood seventeen meters away from the Bamboo Viper and narrowly escaped.
Ye Luo was sent flying, and a damage number of over 200 appeared above his head. Worse still, the sweeping tail left him stunned, unable to move at all.
The Bamboo Viper Snake King showed no mercy. It slithered forward, and when it was still five meters away from Ye Luo, it suddenly sprang up. Its two fangs easily pierced the Demon Ant Chestplate, and another damage number of over 200 floated up.
Clearly, the Bamboo Viper Snake King had used Snake Fang Strike again.
That was not all. Blood streamed from the fang wounds, and a yellow damage number of 50 appeared above Ye Luo's head every second. The bleeding effect of Snake Fang Strike had activated.
Using Sweep the Army before following up with Snake Fang Strike was exactly what Yan Hua Yi Leng had feared. Fortunately, Ye Luo was the only one who had taken the damage. Seeing the Bamboo Viper Snake King preparing to attack him again, she decisively used Frozen Arrow, successfully stunning it for three seconds.
Ye Luo finally recovered from his stun. Seeing his health plummet to 500 and continue falling, he immediately swallowed a mutated Major Blood Recovery Pill and launched an attack at the same time.
Slash + normal attack + Combo Attack. Ye Luo instantly dealt more than 1,400 damage to the Snake King, while the poison effects of the Jade Poison Bead and mutated Rotten Skin Powder also took effect.
Although the Snake King had 50% poison resistance, the two Venomous Assault effects still made it lose over 40 health per second. It was better than nothing.
Furthermore, the mutated Rotten Skin Powder's effect activated. The Snake King's overall defense dropped by 10%, while its Health Recovery Speed was halved. This allowed Ye Luo and Yan Hua Yi Leng to deal even more damage.
With the health recovery from the mutated Major Blood Recovery Pill, Wolf King Ring, and set bonuses, Ye Luo's health stopped dropping. With around 600 health remaining, he could still withstand the Snake King's attacks for a while.
Before long, the Snake King recovered from its stun. Furious at Yan Hua Yi Leng, it slithered after her.
Even after being slowed by Ice Spirit Power by 20%, the Snake King was still slightly faster than Yan Hua Yi Leng, who had taken a mutated Gale Pill. It would probably catch up to her in little more than ten seconds.
However, Yan Hua Yi Leng did not flee. If she ran, the Bamboo Viper Snake King would chase her, and Ye Luo, the slowest of them, would not be able to catch up. He would then be unable to damage it at all, so it was better to endure its attacks head-on.
Yan Hua Yi Leng was already level 18, and her Flying Snow Robe had also reached level 18. Her defense had increased greatly. Thus, even though she was a leather-armored class, her Physical Defense was not much lower than Ye Luo's.
Moreover, Yan Hua Yi Leng had put all her points into Agility, giving her a much higher dodge rate than Ye Luo. Holding off the Bamboo Viper Snake King for a while would not be a problem.
"Ye Luo, stop conserving your control skills. Use everything to control it," Yan Hua Yi Leng said as she continued attacking.
The Bamboo Viper Snake King had already used both of its Active Skills. There was no need to save control skills to interrupt them for the time being, so there was no point in holding back.
Knowing this, Ye Luo immediately used the Soul Shocking Slash + normal attack combination. The two attacks dealt over a thousand damage, and more importantly, stunned the Snake King in place for three seconds.
During those three seconds, Yan Hua Yi Leng swallowed a mutated Major Blood Recovery Pill. Before long, her health had recovered to over 900.
Soon, the Snake King recovered from its stun and opened its jaws to use Serpent Fang Bite. Yan Hua Yi Leng's health rapidly fell, but with potions, positioning, and her dodge rate, she could still endure more than ten attacks.
When Yan Hua Yi Leng's health fell below 400, Ye Luo unleashed his strongest attacks. He used two Combination Skills at once, dealing massive damage to the Snake King in a short time and drawing its aggro.
Moving slightly away from the Bamboo Viper Snake King and slowing her attack speed, Yan Hua Yi Leng gained a brief respite after the Snake King switched targets and quickly replenished her health.
And so, the two took turns enduring the Snake King's attacks. Whoever dropped below 400 health would retreat. It was dangerous but manageable, while the Snake King's health continued falling rapidly.
More than two minutes later, the Snake King had lost nearly 20,000 health. Ye Luo and Yan Hua Yi Leng could already see the light of victory.
"Ye Luo, the Snake King's Snake Fang Strike will come off cooldown in a little over twenty seconds. That skill is nasty. Both of us need to keep our health above 600," Yan Hua Yi Leng said as she calculated the timing. "Of course, it would be even better if we can interrupt it. Use Soul Shocking Slash first. If you fail, I'll use Frozen Arrow."
Ye Luo nodded. They had already seen the rhythm of the Snake King's skills, so there was a high chance they could interrupt it by taking turns using their own skills.
More than twenty seconds passed, and the Snake King's first Active Skill came off cooldown. Ye Luo and Yan Hua Yi Leng became even more focused, ready to interrupt it at any moment. Yet to their confusion, the Snake King showed no intention of using Snake Fang Strike.
"Don't tell me this damn snake wants to wait until Sweep the Army comes off cooldown and use both skills together?" Ye Luo said, cursing. "It really is cunning..."
Before he finished speaking, the Snake King slightly drew back its head, arched its body, and then shot forward. Clearly, it had used Snake Fang Strike again.
Although he was speaking, Ye Luo had kept his eyes on the Snake King. The instant it sprang up, he decisively used Soul Shocking Slash. A huge spectral sword flashed toward it like lightning, accompanied by a thunderous sword cry.
Ye Luo was lucky and successfully stunned the Snake King. The two no longer had any reservations and unleashed their strongest attacks.
Another two minutes passed before Yan Hua Yi Leng said, "Ye Luo, the Snake King's Sweep the Army will come off cooldown in ten seconds. To avoid being hit at the same time, I'll retreat ten meters. You handle it." As she spoke, she began backing away and slowed her attack speed.
Ye Luo's health was above 900, and he still had Soul Shocking Slash available. His potion cooldown had also ended, so he could easily hold out for a while. He nodded and continued attacking the Snake King while moving.
Very soon, the Snake King's skill came off cooldown. This time, it did not launch a surprise attack. It immediately swept its massive tail without warning, giving Ye Luo and Yan Hua Yi Leng no time to react.
As expected, Ye Luo was swept away and stunned again. What left them both amused and helpless was that Yan Hua Yi Leng, whose accuracy was usually extremely high, actually missed. Her Frozen Arrow had been dodged.
Yan Hua Yi Leng frowned slightly but did not hold back. She unleashed her strongest attacks and drew the Snake King's aggro in the shortest possible time, giving Ye Luo a chance to catch his breath.
In truth, even if Yan Hua Yi Leng had not drawn its aggro away, there would not have been much danger. It had only used one skill, and without the high damage of Snake Fang Strike, Ye Luo could have endured it.
However, Ye Luo's health was already below 400, and Yan Hua Yi Leng dealt more damage. If they wanted to kill the Snake King as quickly as possible, they needed to increase their offensive pressure.
After working together so many times, Ye Luo and Yan Hua Yi Leng had developed excellent coordination. They no longer gave the Bamboo Viper Snake King a chance to use two skills on the same person. They continued attacking without serious danger, while the Snake King's health gradually dwindled.
More than ten minutes later, the Bamboo Viper Snake King had only a little over 20,000 health left. Ye Luo and Yan Hua Yi Leng could already see victory ahead. They forcibly suppressed their excitement and continued attacking.
"Ding~!" System Notification (Battle System): The Bamboo Viper Snake King's life is nearing its end. Under the threat of death, it successfully broke through and evolved into Silver Grade. Its attributes increased by 30%, and it comprehended the Venom Spray skill.
As the notification sounded, a vast surge of energy flooded into the Bamboo Viper Snake King's body. Its body swelled dramatically, and its aura became several times more violent.
"Uh, monsters can mutate and evolve too?" Ye Luo stared at the Snake King, which was far thicker than before, in astonishment.
"Boss-class monsters have a certain chance to evolve and mutate when their health falls below 20%. That is common knowledge in the online gaming world," Yan Hua Yi Leng said, her tone as calm as ever. "For players like us, monster evolution brings more benefits, because it greatly increases the chance of obtaining higher-grade equipment."
"That's only if we survive long enough to kill it," Ye Luo muttered, though he did not forget to restore his health and continue attacking. At this point, he was naturally unwilling to give up on killing the Snake King.
"Although the Snake King evolved and its attributes increased by 30%, its health was increased based on its remaining health. It has less than 30,000 health now," Yan Hua Yi Leng said, a trace of emotion entering her voice. "Most importantly, its first two skills were just used. We have a very good chance of killing it!"
Hearing this, Ye Luo noticed that the Snake King had only 26,000 health remaining. Greatly encouraged, he used a Combination Skill and dealt nearly another thousand damage. He even had time to inspect the Snake King's newly acquired skill.
Venom Spray: A skill comprehended by the Bamboo Viper Snake King after evolving to Silver Grade. It sprays venom in a 60-degree fan-shaped area within ten meters ahead, forming a poisonous mist that inflicts poison on targets. Targets lose 80 health per second, their defense is reduced by 30%, and the effect lasts for 10 seconds. Skill cooldown: 10 minutes.
"Uh, this new skill the Snake King learned is incredibly overpowered," Ye Luo exclaimed. But he soon noticed the skill's limitations. "It can only spray venom in a fan-shaped area. As long as we stand apart, only one of us will be hit. And if we move away from the direction its tongue is facing, we might even be able to dodge it when it sprays venom."
"I'm more than ten meters away from it, so I'm not worried about getting hit by its venom," Yan Hua Yi Leng said calmly. She then looked at Ye Luo, who had moved to the opposite side. "So you need to be careful. Keep your health above 800."
"Uh, this..." Ye Luo was speechless.
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