The Rootless Elixir!

Instant recovery of 3,000 HP and a total of 4,000 HP within ten seconds… Associate the word mass produce with this magical elixir and you would bring enormous excitement and expectation to everyone.

However, it was easier said than done.

First of all, the otherworldly strength of the Ancient Ghostvine had been laid bare before the Fallen Angels. The monster almost instantly killed the Winter Demon, the champion of the Grand Tournament who was also widely recognized as the strongest player in H&G. In contrast, Qin Ruo did not even manage to glimpse the monster’s true form. One could only imagine how difficult it would be to defeat the monster.

Besides, Yaeger had also warned them about the peculiar black gas, which the Ancient Ghostvine constantly emitted. The gas was able to seal off the Perception ability and reduce the movement speed of any intruder who dared to set foot in the region. Since the Ancient Ghostvine remained stationary, the battlefield was thus fixed within the Dark Region that favored the monster, making the acquirement of its root an uphill battle.

They were also at an extreme disadvantage since they were unsure of the Ghostvine(s) distribution within the Dark Region. Each Ancient Ghostvine alone had 100,000 HP and Attack or Defense stats similar to that of a Tier 6 Miniboss with ranged skills. In case they selected the wrong path and bumped into two or even more Ancient Ghostvines, they would not be able to come back out alive.

Last but not least, the Primeval Ghostvine… Entering the region without first identifying the existence and position of that scary foe was no different from suicide.

In the main channel, Qin Ruo considered it for a long time and finally decided to temporarily terminate the mission of locating the Underworld Abyss. He shifted their current focus to enter the Dark Region and obtain the Ancient Ghostvine’s roots at all cost.

“Do you think it’ll be better if Dinosaurcerer and I form a team and escort Judge over?” Violet Orchid suggested. “Since the Ancient Ghostvine isn’t running away, it’ll be a lot easier to get in if you have Judge’s Defense and my support.”

“No,” Qin Ruo immediately rejected the idea. “Your field of vision inside the Dark Region will at best be fifteen meters, give or take. Meaning, for you to heal Judge or any one of us, you’ll need to stay that close. It’ll be well within the Ancient Ghostvine’s range of attack. You could be killed instantly in there.”

Qin Ruo paused, then continued to explain, “Even if Judge chooses not to get close and relies on ranged attacks to pressure the monster, it will still put the two of you about thirty meters away from the monster. Also, since the Ancient Ghostvine is a monster that excels at physical attacks, I bet its Physical Defense is gonna be very high too. So, I don’t think the two of you will be of any help.”

Both of them fell silent.

“What about me?” Dinosaurcerer’s voice was heard through the channel. “The Deathfiend Spiders should be useful in this situation. I can command them from beyond the range of attack and let the spiders look for the target themselves.”

“That’s even more impractical,” Homme Fatale retorted. “The Ancient Ghostvine is highly intelligent. It even managed to go around Qin Ruo’s Frostramparts. The Explosive Spiders will never be able to get close enough. We’re talking about a Tier 7 creature here, so I strongly believe that it has an AoE skill. Not to mention, the fog will also reduce the movement speed of your spiders.”

“Ergh… Warriors are useless, Summoners are also useless, and if Elementalists like you guys can’t get near it, we can forget about the other Classes. So, what do you plan to do?” Subjugator’s unhappy voice was heard this time. “Have you guys tried the Illuminating Crystal?”

“Tried and failed. The Ghostvine’s fog is most probably light-proof. The Illuminating Crystal failed to light up after it was thrown inside…” Black Rock answered disappointedly.

“Damn!” A series of cursing immediately rose from the other side.

“Enough.” Qin Ruo comforted them, “Please stop worrying about us. Go back to your routine. Make sure all of you push to Level 60 as quickly as possible. Your levels are what matters most to the Fallen Angels now. I’d rather delay the collection of the root rather than have all of you risk coming here. So, focus on leveling up. I think by the time most of you reach Tier 6, we’ll be done over here as well. Leave this to the three of us.”

“The League Master is right. Most of you are now at Level 58 or 59. It’s not worth wasting your time and risking a drop in your level to rush over there,” Remorseless Warrior chipped in and echoed Qin Ruo’s reasoning. “Since the Ancient Ghostvine isn’t going anywhere, it doesn’t matter if we join them a few days later.”

“All right.” The others nodded and obeyed.

***

After the voice chat was terminated, Black Rock looked at Qin Ruo and asked, “So, are we really going to give up and wait for a few days?”

“Of course not!” Qin Ruo smirked and took out a yellowish Sealed Mana Core from his backpack under Black Rock as well as Homme Fatale’s surprised gazes.

He made no delay and immediately supplied the core with his Mana. A giant purple figure promptly materialized before the three of them.

Chirp! Chirp!

The monster dropped its shoulder to allow Poochie that was squeaking joyfully to jump onto its open palm.

“Owhhh!” Black Rock gave him a thumbs up. Apparently, Qin Ruo had found a workable way to break through the Dark Region. Even though the Tier 5 Melee Miniboss may not be able to match the Ancient Ghostvine, it should be resilient enough to stall the enemy for a considerable period and draw the firepower away from them.

***

“If Magic Effect doesn’t work, immediately Teleport away once we are under attack,” Qin Ruo instructed Black Rock and Homme Fatale. After he received a solemn nod from both of them as a reply, he made eye contact with the Amethyst Orc. A layer of dark purple Combat Aura soon covered the Miniboss. The Orc then bent its knees a little and burst into the region shrouded by dark fog like a bolt of lightning.

Following the booming sound, the three Champions also dashed into the Dark Region right after the Amethyst Orc. They moved in a triangular formation with Qin Ruo at the front tip.

Entering the Phantom Realm. Player’s Movement Speed has decreased by 20%.

The system notification was delivered the moment they stepped into the region.

The three of them felt their heart clench. The invisible weight that was added to their bodies made them extra vigilant.

“Found it!”

Qin Ruo did not stop moving. He trailed the Amethyst Orc closely and quickly jumped towards the Ancient Ghostvine, which the Miniboss discovered.

Schwaff!

A series of wind-breaking pounding sounds resonated in their eardrums ceaselessly.

The sounds were intercalated by the Amethyst Orc’s raging roar. After the first clash, its Amethyst Shield could not sustain the Ghostvine’s attack, instantly collapsing. All subsequent attacks landed directly on the summoned Miniboss’ body.

Although the Amethyst Orc had far superior Physical Defense compared with Qin Ruo, it still suffered a substantial amount of damage in the face of the Divine monster,which was as powerful as a Tier 6 Miniboss. By the time Qin Ruo and company finally caught up to it and saw the true form of the Ancient Ghostvine, the Amethyst Orc’s HP had already been reduced by 10,000 points.

When they were no more than fifteen meters away, the system notification and scene that unfolded in front of them caused them to stop short abruptly

Amethyst Orc is under attack.

Ghostvine Prison triggered. Status Effect: Bind has been inflicted. Amethyst Orc suffers 200 Poison Damage per second. Lasts for five seconds.

***

The instant they heard the system notification, the three of them happened to see more than ten black vines as thick as arms break out from the ground like snakes. The vines quickly wrapped themselves around the Amethyst Orc’s limbs and tangled its entire body in the blink of an eye. The Amethyst Orc could not stop the vines from crawling all over its body no matter how much it struggled and growled.

Before the Amethyst Orc stood a tall and black tree with its top hidden in the fog. Its trunk was broader than the Amethyst Orc’s buff body. The outer layer of the tree had a metallic look, which made Qin Ruo feel like he was standing in front of a giant monument instead of a living tree!

‘Such huge firewood!’ While he had that peculiar thought in his mind, Black Rock was the first to release his long-condensed spell.

Howl!!

Three grayish stone dragons howled furiously and emerged from the ground near the Ancient Ghostvine. The three dragons knocked the tree trunk firmly.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

In the air, more than ten black vines rolled out from the fog. The whipping vines initially traveled towards the Amethyst Orc, but they suddenly changed directions and headed straight for the Terramancer who had taken away more than 3,000 HP from their master.

Pika!

Pika!

A Thunderbird Sword made out of strong electric current rapidly took form. Homme Fatale acted speedily and swung his hand forward with force. The Thunderbird Sword released from his hand immediately turned into Thunderbird Slash. The Thunder-type Spell, carrying more than 750 Magic Attack, hit its target before the Ancient Ghostvine managed to hurt Black Rock.

The damage inflicted was close to 2,000 points. What a Tier 6 Spell!

However, to their disappointment, the paralyzing effect of the Thunderbird Slash did not manifest on the Ancient Ghostvine.

Then again, if it were that easy, the Ancient Ghostvine would have gone extinct a long time ago.

“My turn!” Qin Ruo was quick to release his spell too. Three deadly Frost Needles penetrated deep into the Ancient Ghostvine’s trunk without a sound, and a layer of white frost rapidly formed on the giant tree’s surface.

Yet, in less than half a second, the frost was quickly melted away by the dark fog.

The vines, which had stopped momentarily in mid-air, regained momentum and whipped at Black Rock once again at an even faster speed. Even though Black Rock was equipped with the Galbis Despair Set, and he had efficient defense comparable to Qin Ruo’s, he still would not have been able to withstand two rounds of attack from the Divine Monster despite his Earth Barrier’s resistance against physical attacks.

Nonetheless, the three of them did not go forth unprepared. They would not let the Ancient Ghostvine touch them so easily.

Black Rock beat the Ancient Ghostvine’s attack and successfully summoned the Grand Reaper before the whipping vines reached him.

The giant skull that formed around him immediately provided Black Rock total protection.

The more than ten vines bounced back when they hit the Death Barrier. More than forty souls disappeared along with the Barrier’s skull after the attack, and its Defense instantly decreased by a third, putting Black Rock in distress.

Each soul lost from the Death Barrier would need to be replaced with a Tier 6 monster’s soul. Moreover, the Barrier only refreshed one Demigod’s soul per minute. The Death Barrier was most probably going to yield for good that day.

“Full power!” Qin Ruo yelled. The Frostdragon Roar, which Qin Ruo had obtained from the Warrior of Endless Battle in exchange for the Golden Battle Flag, was raised abruptly and aimed straight at the Ancient Ghostvine.

“Frost! Dragon! Bind!”