Chapter 56: The Fire Serpent King

As I turned around, a group of players suddenly appeared and walked over. One of the warriors waved to greet me.

There were exactly nine of them—a full party, complete with warriors, mages, archers, priests, summoners, and every other class. If they harbored any ill intentions, it would be quite a troublesome situation. After finishing collecting the spoils, I moved to stand beside Dragonwar, while his black-gold sword was planted before him, and his dragon eyes fixed on the nine approaching players. He made no hostile move, though, and since I heard the other side greet us, I paused and asked, "Is there something you need?"

The warrior, seeing me standing close to Dragonwar, seemed to understand my caution. He exchanged a few words with his companions, then sheathed his weapon and strode toward me alone.

This gesture clearly showed he meant no harm, so my wariness eased a little. Dragonwar would react in an instant if they did anything suspicious, his sword ready to strike down.

“My friend, did you just defeat a Volcano Lava Beast?” the warrior asked with some eagerness. He wore gleaming heavy silver armor, and with his imposing build, he looked quite intimidating.

I nodded. The warrior gave me a thumbs-up. “Impressive! You managed to take down a level 50 elite beast, and with such a mighty dragon summon by your side… You must be the famous summoner, Master Weiweilong!”

I couldn't help but laugh. I hadn’t realized my reputation had grown so large—thanks to Dragonwar, of course. “My name is indeed Weiweilong, but I’m hardly as renowned as you say. May I ask what you want? I have quests to complete and can’t spare much time for a chat.”

Seeing me about to leave, the warrior grew anxious. He hurriedly explained, “We’re planning to explore Flame Canyon. Rumor has it there’s an underground labyrinth discovered there. Why not come along? We’ll split any loot evenly. What do you think?”

I considered it. My destination was the Magma Rift, and Flame Canyon was along the way. There was no harm in having a look—the quest I carried had no time limit, after all. So I replied, “Very well, I’ll join you.” Accepting their party invite, the ten of us set out in a lively rush toward Flame Canyon. Along the way, I saw many players. The dangers of Windforest Volcano and the Burning Forest were self-evident, but with Dragonwar carrying us, we flew over both hazardous zones. Although Flame Canyon lay beyond Windforest Volcano, it was very long, stretching north to south behind the Burning Forest. On the map, the northern end of Windforest Volcano extended for over a hundred kilometers, and the canyon itself was hundreds of meters deep and several kilometers wide.

Traveling the rough paths of the Burning Forest, we were ambushed by monsters now and then. Still, with hundreds or even thousands of players swarming forward like locusts, any monster daring to stand in the way was annihilated on the spot. Equipment and coins dropped from the slain creatures were seized in a wild scramble—a chaotic scene, to say the least. It could also be called a rabble.

After flying over the Burning Forest, we arrived at a section of Flame Canyon that looked as if a massive bite had been taken out of it. Before us spread a basin of over a hundred square kilometers. Not a trace of greenery was in sight—scorched earth stretched everywhere, littered with countless naturally formed volcanic cones, stark and desolate.

The cones varied in size. From a distance, they resembled a blackened, ashen forest. Some still spewed smoke, fire, and lava from their peaks. The molten streams flowed unchecked across the ground, eventually forming a river of lava that coursed into the canyon.

After landing, I recalled Dragonwar. Behind us, thousands more players had made it through the two perilous zones, though their numbers had thinned considerably. Those with flying summons had a much easier time.

A large passageway ahead immediately drew attention. It appeared to be the entrance to the underground labyrinth—a gaping pit in the earth. As we approached, a player at the front suddenly cried out and fell into the hole. A flash of white light rose, and then a monstrous serpent, nearly thirty meters long, its body covered in crimson scales, its head hideously fearsome, lunged from the darkness. Its bloody maw, lined with two white fangs, clamped down on the next player, biting him clean in half with a sickening crunch—another flash of white light.

Fire Serpent King, level 45, boss.

It was clearly the guardian of the entrance. Unless it was defeated, there was no getting through. The other players quickly rallied. Over a hundred warriors rushed forward, shields raised, hacking away with their weapons. Mages unleashed spells with furious roars, archers loosed volleys of arrows, priests chanted healing incantations without rest, and summoners sent their beasts into the fray.

The boss’s defenses were formidable. Surrounded by flashing blades and swords, each strike barely did a hundred points of damage. The Fire Serpent King howled, twisting its massive body, its long tail lashing out and smashing into several warriors.

Smack! Smack! Two heavily armored warriors were flung several meters, crashing into the crowd. Fortunately, their shields absorbed most of the impact, leaving them only slightly wounded. Others, less fortunate, were killed instantly.

More attacks rained down on the Fire Serpent King, whittling away its health. Seeing the boss cowed by the players, many began to laugh. But within seconds, the laughter died away.

The ground split open again, and nearly a hundred more creatures—each over ten meters long and similar in appearance to the boss—emerged.

Crimson Flame Pythons, level 40, common beasts.

The pythons erupted from the earth, flicking their blood-red tongues and hissing menacingly as they lunged at the players. The scene was terrifying.

Some unprepared players suffered immediately—caught in the jaws of a python, unable to break free, or battered to the scalding ground by whip-like tails. Those with weaker defenses or low health were killed on the spot.

In the chaos of the sudden assault, players responded in wildly different ways. Seasoned teams quickly regrouped and mounted a counterattack.

The Fire Serpent King itself forced its way into the crowd, spewing torrents of fire that instantly reduced hundreds to white light. Its tail swept through dozens more, cutting down player after player. With the pythons joining the fray, the once-organized ranks dissolved into utter confusion. The thousand-strong force was scattered by the monsters into a tumultuous rout.

I summoned the Hurricane Wolf King to fight. My party had already been split up; everyone was on their own. Some managed to form makeshift teams in the chaos. These experienced squads quickly repelled several pythons.

But the Fire Serpent King continued to belch flames, and pythons kept pouring from below. One python lunged at me, its gaping jaws ready to snap shut!

I instantly swung my Ruyi Staff at its head, unleashing Crushing Blow, Energy Burst, and Assault in quick succession. The serpent’s skull exploded like a rotten melon—blood, bone, and scales splattering everywhere, drenching me.

Meanwhile, the Hurricane Wolf King reared up, tearing into the pythons with its claws, hurling spiraling gales from its jaws.

Neither in numbers nor strength could the pythons match the players. After the initial chaos, the counterattack grew sharper and more effective—python after python fell.

Within thirty minutes, the obstacle they posed was cleared away. The boss alone remained. Only by defeating it could the players advance to their destination.

Seeing its minions slain, the boss flew into a rage, letting out a furious roar. Meteors and fireballs rained from above, smashing into the players below!

This indiscriminate, all-encompassing attack devastated the ranks. Many lightly armored players were struck down instantly, losing a level’s worth of experience—most were killed outright.

Those who survived, especially mages with magical shields, immediately struck back. These were experienced players, not easily cowed, and they responded with their strongest skills.

Whirling magical elements and a hail of arrows assailed the boss from all sides. Warriors charged with raised swords, accompanied by a host of summoned beasts. Countless arrows clattered against the boss’s scales, sending sparks flying.

Damage numbers popped up continuously above the boss’s head—mostly in the hundreds, sometimes in the seventies or eighties—slowly but surely whittling down its health. No matter how vast its reserves or how strong its regeneration, even it could not withstand the combined strength of thousands of players.

For a moment, morale soared—the taste of victory seemed close at hand. Yet before the cheers had faded, the boss revealed another astonishing move…