"Huff..."
Ye Hongling took a deep breath.
Coming to the Flaming Abyss to receive the inheritance at this stage was an incredibly bold move! Her body might not be able to withstand it.
But if she could endure it, it would undoubtedly mean a massive leap in her strength!
Ye Hongling's reason for growing stronger wasn't just to resist calamity; there was an even more important reason—to snatch a man!
Even if she couldn't win Yuyi's heart, she'd claim his body—she couldn't let another woman beat her to it!
"I'm going in."
Ye Hongling glanced at Chen Nian, then resolutely stepped into the crimson pillar of light!
The moment she entered, it felt like walking into a furnace blazing at thousands of degrees. Countless flames coiled around her like writhing serpents...
Anyone else would have been instantly reduced to ashes. At this stage, only Ye Hongling could endure it.
[Detected trialist in position. Flame Inheritance Trial commences.]
"Watch out, it's coming!"
"Look up!"
Meteorites suddenly plummeted from the sky.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The meteorites that crashed to the ground revealed themselves to be monsters descending from the heavens!
[Scarlet Flame Lizard, Level 68]
[Lava Colossus, Level 69]
[Magma Serpent, Level 67]
When the group saw the monsters' level information, sweat instantly beaded on their foreheads as an invisible pressure gradually gathered overhead.
"All monsters nearing level 70... Our average level barely tops 60. This is going to be damn tough..."
"Haha, if it weren't tough, why would Miss Ye personally invite us to handle it?"
"Everyone, stay sharp! We're elite fighters! Killing these monsters will grant substantial experience, and our fire-element skill drop rates will increase too."
"Hold out for 24 hours, and victory is ours!"
For the rich rewards and abundant experience, the great battle officially erupted.
"Flame Slash!"
"Fire Dragon Technique!"
"Heavenly Fire Sweeps the Wilderness!"
Red-hot flames licked and swirled like tongues, filling the air with scorching heat and thick smoke that severely reduced visibility.
The extraordinary warriors battled relentlessly against monsters surging from all directions, using powerful skills to slay one after another. Fallen creatures dissolved into specks of light, only for fresh waves to arrive instantly.
Endless and relentless—this was the Flaming Abyss!
The trial had officially begun. The entrance had long been sealed. Failure to hold out for 24 hours meant certain death!
"Everyone, conserve your strength. The battle is long. Don't exhaust yourselves."
"Exactly. This is just the beginning. Don't go all out!"
With each monster's demise,
their experience began to rise.
Genetic Energy +150...
Genetic Energy +150....
Genetic Energy +150....
Even split evenly among everyone, this was no small amount!
If this continued for twenty-four hours, everyone's levels would see a significant boost—the very reason they'd come here.
Chen Nian remained motionless.
Still wearing his mask and cap, he stood before that crimson pillar of light, openly coasting through the trial.
"What the hell are you doing standing there like a grandpa?!"
Chu Xiang, wielding his Blazing War Blade, retreated and roared at Chen Nian like a raging lion.
Chen Nian hadn't lifted a finger, yet he was still getting his share of the experience. It was unbearable.
"You're absolutely right! Our boss is Miss Ye, not you."
"We spared you before out of respect for Miss Ye. Now that the fight's on, if you don't move, don't blame us for being ruthless!"
The others also turned their hostility toward Chen Nian.
Seeing his closeness with Miss Ye earlier had already left them deeply unsettled, and now their frustration finally erupted.
Faced with their accusations, Chen Nian couldn't be bothered to respond.
Words become law.
Spellbound, hidden and formless.
He vanished from everyone's sight just like that.
"Where... where is he?!"
"Gone? Impossible?!"
"Could it be an invisibility skill? Who knew this kid had that ability! Kick him out of the team—can't let him stay and leech experience!"
"Wait... Captain Ye is in charge. We don't have the authority..."
Only party members could share experience.
Meanwhile, Captain Ye Hongling stood within the crimson pillar, undergoing her trial.
The others could only seethe in impotent rage.
"What a shameless coward!"
"What can you expect from a coward who won't even show his face?"
"Everyone, focus on the monsters first! We'll settle this with him after the trial ends!"
Under Chu Xiang's leadership, the group plunged back into battle.
Chen Nian, however, found a spot to sit and watch the show.
These ordinary monsters weren't worthy of his intervention....
Ye Hongling felt deeply uncertain about this trial in the Flaming Abyss.
Two reasons plagued her.
First, she feared she might not endure long enough, causing the trial to fail.
Second, she feared the others outside might not fully withstand the monster attacks, causing the trial to fail.
But after successfully inviting Bu Yu, the second worry vanished completely.
Simply put, in Ye Hongling's eyes, the other hired mercenaries were useless. Only Bu Yu was the true anchor holding everything together!
....
Time kept ticking away.
Twelve hours had already passed.
Under the relentless, high-intensity assault of the monsters, this group had held out for a full twelve hours.
It had to be said, they were doing remarkably well.
Yet the massive drain on their internal energy was leaving them increasingly exhausted.
Meanwhile, the monsters' attacks grew fiercer with each wave!
"How can it only be halfway through... At this rate, I won't last much longer..."
"Are these monsters never-ending?!"
Every member of the squad was utterly exhausted, covered in wounds.
Some had clothing torn to shreds, bodies scorched with burns, skin charred black... a pitiful sight.
"S-save me!"
"I can't... I really can't go on..."
"If I'd known this mission would be this deadly, I wouldn't have taken it for any amount of money...."
Countless fire-type monsters closed in, surrounding them completely.
Panic gradually took hold of their faces. The exhaustion and terror from the monsters' relentless pressure could no longer be concealed!
[Final wave of monsters approaching. All trial participants take note.]
A string of golden text appeared.
Chu Xiang's eyes lit up with hope: "The final wave! Ha! If we just hold out through this wave, victory is ours!"
But before his words faded, the sky suddenly ripped open, revealing a gaping hole. A meteorite of unprecedented size crashed down with a thunderous roar!
It smashed several high-level monsters to smithereens.
Crack! The meteorite shattered, spreading countless crimson fissures.
First to emerge was a massive red-and-black paw, roughly the size of a washbasin. Veins like molten lava pulsed across its pitch-black skin...
"The boss... the boss is here..."
When the boss's complete form appeared before them, everyone felt a chill run down their spines, their bodies trembling.
It was a colossal werewolf!
Clad in crimson armor, wielding an iron-red wolf-tooth club, its pupils gleamed like two blazing suns.
"Holy shit..."
[BOSS "Celestial Flame Demon Wolf", Level 95]
Level 95 boss.
This tier mercilessly crushed every shred of hope.
Four words:
Unbeatable!
Even a full party at peak strength might not defeat it—let alone a ragtag group of stragglers?
"We're... we're done for..."
Surrounded by endless hordes of monsters, a terrifyingly high-level boss now loomed directly ahead.
Some players were so terrified they wet themselves on the spot...
But before the urine could flow, the damp crotches were instantly scorched dry by intense heat, leaving only a lingering stench of urine in the air.
At that very moment,
Chen Nian's figure reappeared within their field of vision.