Chapter 113: Rampage

At that moment, even the surrounding air seemed to be consumed by flames. The light itself warped and twisted. Even those within the Immovable Golden Bell—such as Chen Ce and Xu Shan, both Spirit Swallow specialists—felt as if they were imprisoned and about to suffocate.

If it weren’t for their trust in Wei Cheng, they might have already lost their will.

But just before the molten lava tide surged down, Wei Cheng suddenly activated his +10 Fire Resistance Flame Ring!

At the same time, Bai Han activated his +19 Fire Resistance Flame Ring.

Chen Ce’s +12 Fire Resistance Flame Ring, as well as the +10 Fire Resistance Flame Rings wielded by Xu Shan, Liu Sui, Yu Liang, and Mei Renli, all ignited.

Even the mountain-moving specialist outside activated his Flame Ring.

This was tacit coordination.

Layers upon layers of fiery shields rose like clouds, forming a protective barrier inscribed with mysterious fire talismans around the Immovable Golden Bell.

Tests had shown that this barrier was highly effective against nightmare phantoms, demonic curses, and even the insects lurking in the black mist, providing strong defense, active damage, and dispelling effects.

But its greatest purpose was to counter the molten lava flames.

In that moment, the terrifying, vast lava tide visibly faltered, its overwhelming force weakened by more than sixty percent. Though the total amount of molten fire remained unchanged, the deliberately built momentum was stifled.

The remaining forty percent of the impact then struck the ultimate form of the Immovable Golden Bell.

Even so, it still bore the force of millions of jin.

“Crackling!” The sound of shattering filled the air. After just three seconds, the Immovable Golden Bell completely fractured and dissipated.

Almost simultaneously, Bai Han released his ultimate form of the Immovable Golden Bell to block the lava tide—but it was only ten meters in diameter.

A loud hum vibrated as the bell shook violently before stabilizing.

One second later, the lava tide’s force was reduced to mere aftershocks, dissipating in all directions, no longer posing a threat.

Much of the lava flowed back into the river, making it difficult, if not impossible, to gather again in the short term.

Wei Cheng was confident: the moment they blocked the lava surge, they had already claimed half the victory.

Indeed, as a deep, thunderous roar echoed, the surrounding molten flames seemed to come alive, rapidly converging into a colossal lava giant over a hundred meters tall. Like a fiery lizard, it sprouted three massive heads.

Two of the heads were the largest, positioned left and right like massive trucks.

The third, smaller head grew from the chest, bearing a single eye that remained tightly shut, emitting an eerie, indescribable aura.

This was the magma giant boss.

Yet, despite its terrifying presence, it had condensed less than one percent of the total lava; the rest could no longer merge into its body or form fire lizards, instead flowing weakly.

The molten river had lost the initiative.

“Bai Han, retract your bell! Everyone else, spread out fast!” Wei Cheng shouted. The magma giant was enormous, and if they didn’t create distance, a single powerful attack could wipe them all out.

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Retracting the ultimate Immovable Golden Bell was no easy feat; even Bai Han, seasoned for nine cycles, needed five seconds.

But only two seconds had passed when the magma giant strode forward and slammed its palm down. The Immovable Golden Bell instantly vanished, and Bai Han only managed to recover three cycles’ worth of mountain-moving inner strength.

Fortunately, everyone inside was prepared.

Chen Ce immediately led Bai Han in a rapid retreat.

Xu Shan pulled Mei Renli along, Liu Sui grabbed Yu Liang.

Even Wei Cheng switched to the Spirit Swallow profession and took the unconscious, exhausted nameless mountain-mover with him.

In a flash, the earth cracked and mountains shook. The magma giant’s palm strike destroyed the Immovable Golden Bell and gouged a large pit in the ground. Countless molten flames splattered upward, turning the surrounding tens of thousands of meters into a sea of lava fire.

An area-wide devastation on the entire map.

Under such conditions, only mountain-moving specialists could endure; both Spirit Swallows and Purple Glow specialists would not survive here.

Yet, everyone remained unharmed, thanks to their Flame Rings—each with at least +9 fire resistance.

Everything had a reason.

The group withdrew two to three hundred meters and immediately re-entered combat readiness.

Without needing Wei Cheng’s orders, Xu Shan and Chen Ce darted back like lightning, flanking left and right, leaping rapidly in the sky.

Each jump left behind a ladder cloud talisman beneath their feet, providing footholds and steps that enabled them to jump even higher.

This was the Spirit Swallow’s ultimate skill, akin to the Immovable Golden Bell, mastered only after reaching the sixth level of Ladder Cloud Technique.

Xu Shan and Chen Ce had both mastered it to the eighth level, allowing them to chain five consecutive jumps in midair.

In an instant, the two soared over 150 meters high, then dove swiftly downward, successfully drawing the magma giant’s two large heads’ attention.

“Roar!”

The two heads simultaneously unleashed massive streams of golden fire like twin fire-breathing dragons, blocking Xu Shan and Chen Ce’s attack paths.

Fortunately, both had left behind ladder cloud talismans. At the moment the flames swept past, they rebounded linearly, bouncing back over a hundred meters, then glided down gracefully from that height—a spectacle of exquisite skill showcasing the Spirit Swallow’s inner strength.

But Xu Shan and Chen Ce were not here to perform; their true purpose was to cover for Liu Sui.

As the magma giant’s two heads unleashed their terrifying flame streams, Liu Sui transformed into a purple whirlwind and charged forward.

With a dragon’s roar, Liu Sui unleashed his ultimate move. Countless purple palm shadows coalesced into a purple dragon, crashing heavily against one of the magma giant’s massive legs.

There was no other way—this creature was too tall, and Liu Sui’s ultimate could not lock onto its weak points in time.

“Boom!”

Accompanied by the giant’s roar, its left leg was shattered just below the knee. The enormous body swayed violently but quickly regained balance. Golden flames poured from the broken limb, rapidly sealing the wound.

Liu Sui, having retreated, stared in disbelief. Had half of his Purple Glow inner strength and ultimate attack been wasted?

“Old Wei?” Xu Shan asked Wei Cheng with her eyes mid-air.

Their earlier coordination had considered Wei Cheng’s involvement; had he switched to the Spirit Swallow profession, he could have dealt a heavy blow to the magma giant.

But for some reason, Wei Cheng switched back to mountain-mover, letting that opportunity slip.

Wei Cheng was no fool to miss such a chance.

From the beginning, he pondered the true nature and intent of this monstrous magma river.

Frankly, he feared the river might spawn a dozen or even dozens of agile, blink-capable fire lizards, overwhelming them in a single wave.

If that happened, all but him and Bai Han would likely be dragged into the lava and drowned alive...

Of course, fire lizards were no match for top-tier mountain-movers like him and Bai Han.

Ultimately, they would be the ones to laugh last.

Instead, the monster river chose a hundred-meter-tall magma giant boss.

This was precisely the type of enemy they knew best and were most skilled at defeating, no matter its towering height.

For example, the previous scene showed that without Wei Cheng’s command, Xu Shan, Chen Ce, and Liu Sui had already formed a perfect synergy, severely wounding the magma giant—if it could not self-heal.

Thus, Wei Cheng sensed a trap.

The core target of this trap was designed to counter his ability to switch freely between Spirit Swallow and mountain-mover professions.

Wei Cheng bet that if he had joined Liu Sui’s assault and tried to land a fatal blow under Liu Sui’s ultimate’s cover, he would have surely died.

The enemy was far more cunning than he had imagined.

“Everyone, don’t rush. Spread out, two-person teams,” Wei Cheng calmly ordered.

The two-person teams paired long-legged with short-legged, mountain-mover with fragile classes.

During rapid retreat and high-speed maneuvers, Spirit Swallow or Purple Glow specialists would drag the slower mountain-movers.

For reinforced defense, mountain-movers could provide one-on-one support.

It was a flexible combination.

In Wei Cheng’s view, a strong mountain-mover could even manage one against two, teaming with a Spirit Swallow and a Purple Glow specialist to form balanced three-person squads with no weaknesses...

Unfortunately, among those present, only Wei Cheng himself fit that role well; even Bai Han struggled to qualify.

He could not be called a strong mountain-mover.

Everyone understood Wei Cheng’s strategy, dispersing and moving flexibly without directly clashing with the magma giant.

Unexpectedly, this drew back four Spirit Swallow and Purple Glow specialists who had fled far earlier.

After all, Wei Cheng’s group had effectively brought down the magma boss’s first form, and now it had shifted to its second form—an opportunity too good to miss.

They were not heartless enough to steal the boss; this was no game. The existence of the Transmission Stone Tablet meant that snatching the final boss kill at the last moment was pointless.

But coming back to assist, joining forces to grind the boss, was perfectly acceptable—and Wei Cheng’s group welcomed it eagerly.

A true win-win.

With two Spirit Swallows and two Purple Glow specialists joining, their combined strength was enough to change the tide.

“Bai Han, we’re joining now. Hope you don’t mind,” a Purple Glow specialist of seven cycles called out from 500 or 600 meters away, polite and considerate.

Before Bai Han could respond, Wei Cheng felt a sudden unease and shouted without hesitation:

“Everyone, don’t deactivate your Flame Rings! Mountain-movers, activate your Golden Bells for stronger defense!”

As Wei Cheng’s voice fell, everyone sensed a ripple of anxiety.

“Not good—the boss is about to go berserk!”

(End of chapter)