Chapter 40: Cadaver Golem, Comprehensive Debilitation

Only 626 experience points for killing a Rotten Poison Warlock? That is far too little!

Gu Chen paused for a moment, almost thinking he had misread it. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was just a common mob, so he let it slide. Having spent too much time slaughtering elite monsters in the Hell-grade dungeon, he found it hard to adjust to common mobs again.

As his level increased, the experience required for the next level grew exponentially. Going from level 10 to 11 required 14,500 experience points. Taking into account the overflow experience from killing the Fallen Witch, as well as the clear and first-clear rewards, he still needed 7,266 experience points to level up. In other words, he had to kill twelve more Rotten Poison Warlocks to advance. This was acceptable for now, but what about later? Would he really have to slaughter hundreds or thousands of alien creatures in the wilderness just to gain a single level? After experiencing the Hell-grade dungeon, common alien creatures no longer caught his eye.

"Most of the creatures in the wilderness are common; the return on investment for killing them is too low. It seems I must head to the Abyss-Suppressing Army outpost as soon as possible."

The Abyss-Suppressing Army, stationed in the wilderness, fought against alien races year-round and guarded the Abyss. They were the most elite military force of the Shenxia Empire. At their outposts, one could accept and post wilderness missions. Powerful professionals could even be granted special entry into the army and enjoy military subsidies. Gu Chen wasn't interested in the missions or the subsidies; he wanted access to the outpost's intelligence to look up basic information on nearby abysses and select one better suited to his needs.

He glanced at his map and continued walking deeper into the wilderness. Before long, a faint sound of air being torn apart echoed through the black mist behind him. Gu Chen didn't notice it, but the Vampire Lord did immediately. Someone was pursuing him, and they were closing in at high speed.

"Could it be the Li family? Already?" Gu Chen raised an eyebrow.

Almost as soon as the thought crossed his mind, a shadow appeared at the edge of the black mist not far away. Immediately after, three more shadows emerged behind it, their powerful auras pressing down on him like a tidal wave. Five Tier 2 professionals at once! Gu Chen's expression shifted, and his eyes grew grave.

"Gu Chen, how dare you kill our young master! Surrender now, or I will ensure you die without a burial ground!" Wang Chongshan's voice boomed from the black mist. He had been ten meters away a moment ago, but in the blink of an eye, he was right in front of him.

*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*

The speed of a peak Tier 2 professional left Gu Chen no time to react. With a flash of shadows, Wang Chongshan appeared before him, followed closely by four middle-aged men in black.

Wang Chongshan was a level 29 Assassin, accompanied by three level 23 Warriors and one level 22 Cleric. Gu Chen’s mouth twitched—this lineup was enough to raid a dungeon. Were they planning to treat him like a dungeon boss? They had chased him all the way from Lin City into the wilderness; how much was the Li family paying them?

"Gu Chen, don't harbor any delusions of resistance. Even if you flee to the ends of the earth, you cannot escape death."

"Come back to Lin City with us obediently, and perhaps you might keep your body intact. Otherwise, the Li family will make you wish you were dead."

"Cut the crap. With just you five Tier 2 professionals, you might not be able to kill me!" Gu Chen retorted coldly.

The opponents were an entire major realm higher than him, and they possessed tracking items like the Guide Lamp; running away was impossible. Rather than fleeing to his death, he would be better off concentrating his strength for a desperate fight.

"Hmph, arrogant fool! I’ll cripple you first!" Wang Chongshan roared.

*Swish!*

A series of hidden weapons glowing with dark light tore through the mist, aimed directly at Gu Chen’s vital points. Just then, a massive figure materialized out of thin air.

The Revenant Golem!

Its hulking, dignified frame stood like a giant guarding Gu Chen. Its body was constructed from ancient, primitive stones, with cold, ghostly blue flames burning at the joints. Its limbs were thick and angular, its surface etched with mysterious runes and marks that radiated an aura of ancient, indestructible power.

Facing the barrage of hidden weapons, the Revenant Golem stood firm, not dodging at all.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

The projectiles struck the Golem’s rough stone exterior, erupting in a cascade of blinding sparks. Its health dropped by 30%. It hurt, but it was bearable. After all, these were skills from a level 29 Assassin, while the Golem was only level 10. When the Revenant Golem was stationary, its defense and recovery were boosted; surviving such an attack was already an impressive feat.

The Golem’s health began to recover at a visible rate—a speed that rivaled even the Vampire Lord. It erupted with blinding ghostly blue flames and let out a furious roar at the shadows before it. The next second, three layers of black light burst forth from its body.

[Extreme Fatigue: Applies a fatigue state to nearby targets, reducing all attributes by 50% and increasing damage taken by 50%. Cannot be immunized.]

[Black Death Plague: Infects a target with a plague, reducing healing effects received by 90% and causing continuous health loss. Cannot be immunized.]

[Forbidden Domain of Magic: The Revenant Golem designates a forbidden zone centered on itself, where all resource consumption for targets is increased tenfold.]

Faced with a group of Tier 2 professionals, Gu Chen immediately ordered the Revenant Golem to unleash all its skills. When the debuffs took hold of Wang Chongshan and his men, their expressions turned to horror.

"What is this skill? It cut all my attributes in half!"

"Cough, cough... why am I sick? Why is my health dropping so fast?"

"Don't panic! Watch my Greater Purification!"

"Damn it! These negative effects can't be purified!"

"Heal me! My health is plummeting!"

"I'm already healing you, can't you feel it?"

"Damn it! Only ten percent of the healing is working?"

...

Wang Chongshan and his Li family bodyguards had arrived with aggressive momentum, but the moment the Revenant Golem appeared, they instantly faltered.

"Kill!" Gu Chen commanded from behind the Golem.

In the next second, the Vampire Lord and the Nightmare Sovereign moved in unison. Two figures—one red, one black—instantly closed the distance to two of the warriors. One warrior’s face changed drastically; he shoved his shield forward in a blocking stance and immediately cast "Shield of Courage" on himself.

It was the most common defensive skill for warriors. As their level increased, so did their defensive capabilities. If a Tier 6 warrior cast Shield of Courage, its defense would be roughly equivalent to a level 60 epic-grade item.

Just as the Shield of Courage formed, a barrage of silver-light bullets whistled into the barrier.

*Crackle!*

The shield the warrior took such pride in lasted only a single second before being shattered completely. The Vampire Lord’s gaze was icy; he pulled the trigger without hesitation, sending bullets raining down like a torrential storm onto the warrior.

The shield shattered.

The armor shattered.

The health bar plummeted.