Chapter 2116 - 563: Battle of Death Valley! (Part 3)

"Hmm... Something is wrapped in a barrier. I can only vaguely sense it. An ominous presence is approaching us."

With his Gold Level strength, he couldn't see through what was behind the barrier, which said a lot...

And almost at the moment his voice dropped, a sharp scream suddenly pierced through the sweltering air, descending upon the heads of the players.

"Squeak——!!!"

Immediately, countless swollen meatballs rushed out from the darkness as if it were tangible. The twisted shapes made it impossible to discern what they were.

"Are those... Ratmen?" One Mouthful of Chemical Pool standing afar was taken aback to see the scene ahead, even forgetting to toss the two reagent bottles held tightly in his hand.

Gou Shi standing beside him swallowed his saliva.

No—

They could no longer be called creatures.

Their limbs twisted on the ground, their backs arched high, and their skin stretched to a translucent state, the fluid underneath wasn't blood, but some kind of turbid liquid emitting a faint glow!

And the most shocking part was their backs, where clusters of purple-black crystal tumors grew!

The crystal tumors flickered on and off, seemingly expanding and contracting with the breaths of the creatures, spewing visible bluish dust outward.

Frightened by these things, the Tauren Warrior let out a scream as his sanity slipped away.

"Oh crap... What kind of monster is this?"

"Ooh ooh ooh! First kill! It's mine!" Unlike him, the Pig-headed Knight charged forward decisively, brandishing a Totem Pole.

And then—

There was no "and then."

The pig-headed fellow, as always, was courageous. This time, he charged too far, impulsively diving into the black fog behind the "Crystal Rat."

This Silver Level Peak powerhouse's charge didn't even make a splash and was swallowed up in the biting sounds rolling in.

Perhaps this was why he had remained at Silver Level for so long.

Though death in the expansion wouldn't incur extra penalties, the loss of current Experience Points is part of the revival mechanism, and unavoidable.

Watching "T0" disappear instantly into the depths of the black fog, Longxing Qianli froze for a moment, instinctively raising his shield, prepared for a hard fight.

And at this moment, a more horrifying scene unfolded as those twisted creatures didn't rush directly at the players but first submerged the Ratmen kind blocking them!

Grimacing mouths full of fangs opened wide, biting other Ratmen's necks and viciously tearing them apart.

"Help——!"

"Ahhhhh!"

Blood splattered, and flesh flew apart.

After devouring their kin, the crystal tumors on their backs instantly grew more vibrant and their bodies swelled visibly.

"Be careful! They're still mutating!"

Yiye Zhiqu's heart tightened, as he plunged his Magic Wand into the ground. A huge fireball rapidly coalesced over his head.

The burning fireball kept expanding. Within mere breaths, its diameter grew from one meter to three meters, distorting the surrounding air—

As if a sun burning above the battlefield!

When the fireball reached its peak, Yiye Zhiqu fiercely swung his Magic Wand forward, and the fireball fell like a meteor at the center of the enemy formation!

Boom——!

Firelight soared to the heavens!

The flames rising up lifted the dust from the ground, gathering into a small mushroom cloud!

Yet even this all-out strike from a Gold Level powerhouse only managed to burn less than a dozen twisted Crystal Rats.

Soon, the burnt corpses were eaten by the rats from behind, fueling the crystal flow forward!

Dragon Roaming the World Guild bore the brunt.

The speed of these "Crystal Rats" was astonishing, like meat projectiles out of a barrel, crashing into the players' formation with a stinking wind!

Caught off guard, several players were knocked to the ground, unable to react before their heads were bitten off.

Blood sprayed wildly!

The previously unstoppable advance of Dragon Roaming the World finally saw casualties, marking the start of a fierce melee.

Several top players from Dragon Roaming the World Guild quickly responded, blades and axes in hand sliced forward in a flowing light.

Under the blessing of Dragon God and Energy, several Crystal Rats were quickly chopped down, gasping their last breath with a wail.

In the distance, the Mage wielded his Magic Wand, casting spells. Orange-red firelight and Qi Blades flew wildly on the battlefield, accompanied by explosions.

However, even as the players dealt tons of damage, a few mutants still broke into the phalanx.

Unlike those general monsters that only bit, the crystal tumors on their backs suddenly swelled and exploded, shooting countless tiny crystal shards!

These shards, like shrapnel, easily pierced through the bones of skeleton soldiers and the scales of Lizardmen.

In just an instant, the Shield Wall of Dragon Roaming the World was riddled with holes, and the "Dragon Descendant" warriors holding shields suffered heavy casualties!

"Ah! My leg!"

"Priest, don't worry about me, heal the captain first—"

"Damn, the devs must've opened the console, huh?!"

Such formidable strength was just the minions, clearly the devs giving them pressure as they were progressing too smoothly.

"Hold the formation—!"

Longxing Qianli swung the Tower Shield, trying to shove away a mutant, yet the opponent's strength was astonishing, directly knocking her shields and all flying.