Black Zombie King (2-in-1)
Smoke and dust rose everywhere.
A black stag, two and a half meters tall and incredibly robust, crawled out of the grave.
"Roar! Roar! Roar! Roar!"
The roar shook the surrounding area.
The White Ghost Queen gracefully hid behind the tall Black Corpse, and said with a sinister smile, "So you can see that this is the Black Zombie King, one of the Black-and-White Fiends. Don't let his few words fool you; he's incredibly powerful."
It turns out that this grave wasn't the White Ghost Queen's tomb, but rather the Black Zombie King's corpse-raising ground. No wonder the yin energy was so strong.
Bai Xiaowen also realized that White Ghost Queen sending him to pick the Ghost Mugwort was probably not good. The Ghost Mugwort grew on the site where the Black Zombie King slept, and for Bai Xiaowen to go there would be tantamount to delivering himself to the enemy.
Bai Xiaowen used his Insight to share information about the Black Zombie King with Li Shuyi.
[Black Zombie King (Level 7 Boss Tier)]
[Race: Fiend Species / Corpse Demon Clan]
[Attributes: Strength 75, Agility 19, Constitution 53, Spirit 14]
[Skill 1: Bronze Hide and Iron Bones: The Black Zombie King's body is baptized by the essence of the earth's yin energy, forging a body of Bronze Hide and Iron Bones, greatly reducing the physical damage it receives, with the damage reduction rate fluctuating from 50% to 90%.]
[Skill 2: Earthshaking Leap: The Black Zombie King violently shakes the ground and leaps towards the target area. Upon landing, Shockwave will be generated, stunning the nearest enemy and slowing down other nearby enemies.]
[Skill 3: Corpse-Poison Miasma: During battle, the Black Zombie King will release Corpse Poison, forming a large-scale poison cloud that deals continuous poison damage to enemies within the area. This effect can stack.]
[Skill 4: Blood Drain: The Black Zombie King grabs a target, draining their life essence to heal himself. If the target is successfully grabbed, they will be unable to move or use movement skills.]
[Skill 5: Jiangshi Command LV1: The Black Zombie King's Life Value is increased by an additional 300 points, and the duration of abnormal status and control effects is reduced by 30%.]
This time, the Insight skill was quite effective, directly detecting all of the level 7 Boss Tier's skills.
Two Advanced Boss! And they're the Fiend Species Boss Tier that are extremely difficult to deal with. That's the difficulty of A-Tier Elite Quest.
The difficulty rating of a mission is only a rough assessment, and it depends on how the mission is completed and whether friendly Spirit Realm beings are involved. Generally speaking, the difficulty of A-Tier Elite Quest falls between that of B-Tier and C-Tier Hero Quest, and may even be slightly higher than that of S-Tier ordinary mission.
"Leave the White Ghost Queen to me, Shu Yi, you deal with the Black Zombie King. Just be careful to avoid the Corpse-Poison Miasma, the summoned creatures will block the other skills for you. Remember to flank and attack from behind," Bai Xiaowen said in the Team Channel.
Li Shuyi nodded, and together with Rageclaw, Fatty, Shadow Assassin, and Vampire Kitz, they pounced on the Black Zombie King.
The Skeleton Sword-and-Shield Soldier, who had just been Mind Control by the White Ghost Queen, regained control after the 30-second control period. Bai Xiaowen ordered it to pick up the iron sword and join the attack on the Black Zombie King.
Bai Xiaowen and the Bone Warlock fought against the White Ghost Queen.
The bullets fired by the Desert Eagle were physical attacks and couldn't hit the White Ghost Queen in her Ethereal Form. Bai Xiaowen simply put away his gun and used his Flame Combat Arts to maneuver around the Bone Warlock and the White Ghost Queen.
On the other side, although the Black Zombie King is incredibly strong, its slow speed is a weakness. Most of its attacks are dodged, and the few attacks that are difficult to dodge are taken down by the summoned creatures such as the Stitched Monster Fatty and Rageclaw.
Li Shuyi flanked the Black Zombie King and discovered that its spine was no longer a weak point, offering up to 50% damage reduction. However, this was already the part with the lowest damage reduction effect, so Li Shuyi could only withstand the damage reduction and unleash a barrage of attacks, with damage numbers like -7 and -8 constantly appearing on the Black Zombie King's body.
In any case, the Black Zombie King has been held back.
After being hit by two Thunderstrike Art and a "Dark Swipe" flame attack, the White Ghost Queen's Life Value plummeted. She saw the Black Zombie King being held back and roared angrily.
The Black Zombie King's eyes blazed with bloodlust, and with a muffled roar, its body trembled, and wisps of light brown poisonous mist spread rapidly from the spot.
Li Shuyi hurriedly ran out of the area affected by the Corpse-Poison Miasma, and the other summoned creatures also made way. Because they dodged in time, the "Corpse Poison" effect on them only had one layer, causing them to lose 10 Life Value every 3 seconds. However, the duration of this "Corpse Poison" effect was a whopping 30 seconds!
One layer of Corpse Poison means a loss of a full 100 points of Life Value! What's even more terrifying is that the effects of Corpse Poison can stack. If three layers are stacked and there is no antidote, one will truly be poisoned to death.
The sheer power of the Black Zombie King's skill is evident.
Using this skill, the Black Zombie King dispersed the surrounding attackers. It arched its back slightly and shot into the sky like a cannonball, rushing towards the battle group behind Bai Xiaowen and White Ghost Queen.
Combat Skill - Earthshaking Leap!
Having already detected this skill, Bai Xiaowen naturally had a way to deal with it. As early as when the Black Zombie King was charging up, he and the Bone Warlock had already started to separate. And the instant the Black Zombie King landed, he directly Targeted Airdrop a Skeleton Sword-and-Shield Soldier to the target location.
The enemy target closest to the Black Zombie King will be stunned! Other targets within range will be slowed. This is the mechanism of "Earthshaking Leap".
The Skeleton Sword-and-Shield Soldier was stunned without a doubt, but Bai Xiaowen and the Bone Warlock escaped the stun effect.
The Black Zombie King landed, and the entire Ghost Reef seemed to tremble. With a swipe of its claw, it seized the throat of the stunned Skeleton Sword-and-Shield Soldier. With a snap, the cervical vertebrae were broken, the Soul Fire was extinguished, and the skull fell to the ground, rolling around.
75 points of strength is no joke; if you get hit, you'll either die or be crippled.
However, while the Black Zombie King and the White Ghost Queen were fighting against Bai Xiaowen and the others, the Ming Army guards who had come with them were not idle. They hurriedly slipped to the cracked grave of the Black Zombie King to pick Ghost Mugwort, while others untied Zhang Ting and the others who were tied up.
"Master, we've got the Ghost Mugwort, we can go now!" a Ming Army soldier whispered.
At this moment, the White Ghost Queen hid behind the Black Zombie King, and the Black Zombie King absorbed all of Bai Xiaowen's "Dark Swipe" flames. Bai Xiaowen could only take out his Desert Eagle again and steadily shoot at the Black Zombie King, saying at the same time, "You guys go first, I'm going to eliminate these two Demon and uphold justice!"
A group of the Ming Army soldiers showed expressions of respect, saluted Bai Xiaowen, and quietly withdrew.
However, before they could even leave, streaks of black lines, like serpents, began to slither towards them. These were seaweed that resembled a woman's long hair! When Ming Army soldiers came into contact with the seaweed, their ankles were immediately bound tightly, and they could not move an inch.
Even more terrifying, the seaweed would slowly extend upwards, wrap around the neck of the bound soldier, and then tighten more and more, attempting to strangle him!
The remaining guards shouted and quickly used their knives to cut the seaweed, rescuing the guards at the front and retreating in a disheveled state.
Apart from the large area of wasteland on the main island of Ghost Reef, which is free of seaweed, the area surrounding Ghost Reef and the only route back to the small boat are covered with black seaweed, making it impossible for the Ming Army soldiers to advance.
Bai Xiaowen realized that this seaweed was probably the punishment for cheating to complete the mission! If an Awakened being skilled in stealth stole the Ghost Mugwort while the Black Zombie King and White Ghost Queen weren't paying attention, wouldn't they be able to complete this A-Tier Elite Quest without any fighting and obtain a very generous reward?
The Spirit Realm Rules certainly wouldn't allow such a shortcut. There are two solutions: one is to kill the White Ghost Queen and leave honorably; the other is to use special items, such as short-duration flight, to evade the seaweed and escape back to the sea. Of course, the value of flight items goes without saying; they are extremely rare at the Awakened stage.
White Ghost Queen laughed triumphantly, "Stay here! You are all my prey, and none of you will leave!"
The Black Zombie King roared, "Blood fodder... me!"
The White Ghost Queen shrugged and said, "Okay, I'll give you half... Ouch!"
With a deafening roar, the Bone Warlock raised his hand and unleashed another Lightning Strike, reducing the White Ghost Queen's Life Value by another 100 points!
The Stitched Monster Fatty's chains shot out with a clatter, piercing the Black Zombie King's leg, and he pulled hard!
The Black Zombie King reached out and grabbed the iron chain, its immense strength clashing with the Fatty's pulling force.
With Fatty's strength, it was impossible for him to pull the Black Zombie King, who had a strength of 75. However, Bai Xiaowen did the opposite, letting Fatty use the huge pulling force to become an aerial acrobat and fly into the Black Zombie King!
While the Black Zombie King's vision was obstructed by Fatty, Bai Xiaowen bent down and rushed past the Black Zombie King from the side, heading towards White Ghost Queen. Then, he spun his legs and shot into the sky like a propeller. The crimson flames wrapped around his hands also enveloped White Ghost Queen, carrying her into the air together.
Kusanagi-Style Ancient Martial Arts - Demon Scorch!
The White Ghost Queen's Life Value has dropped below 300 points.
It was filled with shock and anger. After landing, it suddenly opened its mouth, causing violent ripples in the surrounding air!
Bai Xiaowen, who was closest to the device, felt a ringing in her ears and a sharp pain in her head; she had fallen into a state of severe deceleration!
The transparent air ripples spread rapidly, and the Stitched Monster Fatty, Rageclaw... within a 25-meter radius White Ghost Queen were all affected by its shriek. Moreover, apart from Bai Xiaowen and the Bone Warlock being slowed down, everyone else was stunned.
Spirit Realm Rules Message:
"White Ghost Queen's skill: 'Wail of Ten Thousand Ghosts' is activated. Targets with a spirit level below 30 will be stunned, otherwise they will be severely slowed."
White Ghost Queen roared, her body became somewhat weak. With a sway, her originally illusory body became solid, and long, thin black fingernails extended from the tips of her two hands, scratching at Bai Xiaowen!
Spirit Realm Rules Message:
"The White Ghost Queen's [Ethereal Form] has ended, and it has reverted to [Physical Form]!"
"White Ghost Queen, she lost the skills [Mind Control] and [Wail of Ten Thousand Ghosts]."
"White Ghost Queen, she gained the skills [Spectral Claw] and [Heart-Rending Strike]!"
After transforming into Physical Form, the White Ghost Queen gave a sinister smile, grabbed Bai Xiaowen's shoulder with one hand, and suddenly a bloody light shot out from her other claw, slowly reaching for Bai Xiaowen's heart.
Furthermore, taking advantage of the moment when everyone was stunned by the Howling of Wail of Ten Thousand Ghosts, the Black Zombie King once again unleashed the [Corpse-Poison Miasma] skill, simultaneously throwing a punch! Its primary target was none other than Li Shuyi!
Bai Xiaowen was severely slowed down, while Li Shuyi was stunned! Both of them were exposed to the BOSS's attacks.
Li Shuyi hurriedly used Mature Qinglian Seed) to try to break free from the control effect, but failed. Her base priority was low and not enough to remove the stun effect of "Wail of Ten Thousand Ghosts Howl".
In the critical moment, it was the Bone Warlock raised his hand and unleashed the [Yellow Heaven] skill.
A soft golden light shone down, and Li Shuyi felt lighter, shaking off the dizziness. At the same time, her Life Value even increased slightly! She quickly retreated, dodging the Black Zombie King's fist, and ran away from the range of the Corpse-Poison Miasma. She stuffed a bun into her mouth and drank a bottle of high-level health recovery potion, finally managing to raise her Life Value.
The White Ghost Queen's [Heart-Rending Strike] also failed to hit Bai Xiaowen. A Skeleton Sword-and-Shield Soldier appeared in front of Bai Xiaowen Bai Xiaowen and took the blow in his place.
This skill is terrifying. White Ghost Queen appears, it will rip out the heart of the person it hits and crush it, triggering Instant-Death Check!
Note that "instant kill" and "immediate death" are two different concepts.
A "one-hit kill" refers to instantly reducing an opponent's Life Value to zero. However, there are some skills or items that can help avoid one-hit kills, such as "Soul Link," "Dying Instinct," and "Fiery Defender." Incidentally, Bai Xiaowen's "Life Sharing" is also one of the skills that can help avoid one-hit kills.
"Instant death," literally understood, means ignoring Life Value and directly determining the opponent's death. If Bai Xiaowen is hit and the Instant-Death Check passes, then Life Sharing will not be triggered, and he will die instantly. The Rageclaw, which Life Sharing with Bai Xiaowen, will not lose Life Value.
Of course, as Bai Xiaowen's summoned creature, Rageclaw will also die, but the cause of death is unrelated to the Life Sharing.
Skills that grant immediate death are indeed powerful, but they are not invincible. First, they are difficult to activate, and second, they only take effect if the Instant-Death Check is met. For example, the [Heart-Rending Strike] skill White Ghost Queen only works on certain humanoid creatures, beasts, and dragons. If the target does not rely on a heart to survive, or even does not have a heart, then it will not take effect.
For example, the Skeleton Sword-and-Shield Soldier that Bai Xiaowen used to block skills, after being struck by the Heart-Rending Strike, stared blankly at the White Ghost Queen. The White Ghost Queen's claws rummaged through its breastbone, but couldn't pull anything out...
There are also some skills or items that counteract instant death effects, such as "Seed of Rebirth" and "Soul Furnace," but I won't go into those.
Bai Xiaowen discovered something: White Ghost Queen had finally transformed from Ethereal Form into a physical entity! In other words, physical attacks could now be effective against her!
White Ghost Queen had just used Heart-Rending Strike, and her attack was still awkward, revealing a significant opening. Bai Xiaowen tentatively threw a fist burning with flames, hitting White Ghost Queen in the chest and abdomen, but he felt a clear, solid impact.