strictlysupreme Chapter 181 The Winter's Treasure Vault! Tearing apart an ice dragon with bare hands!
Chapter 181 The Winter's Treasure Vault! Tearing apart an ice dragon with bare hands!
Jiang Ming put the incomplete blueprint of the dimensional portal into his storage ring.
After the black mist above the capital of Winter dissipated, sunlight shone unhindered into the ruins.
With the death of the Thousand-Eyed Flesh Mountain, the abyssal monsters that were originally controlled by the Mother's will were thrown into complete chaos.
Without unified command, the entire basin was filled with mutated creatures and gargoyles that wandered around like headless flies.
"Boss, the mother structure has exploded. What do we do with these minions?"
Marlowe shouted at the top of his lungs into the communication channel.
Jiang Ming stood on the shoulder of the heavy mech, looking down at the dense red dots around him.
"Since we're already here, how can we go back empty-handed?"
Jiang Ming patted the mecha's dark gold armor shell. "Switch back to tank mode and get ready to clear the area and stock up."
As Jiang Ming gave the order, the twenty-meter-tall steel giant emitted a series of dense mechanical meshing sounds.
The energy flow of the Fire Matrix caused the mech's legs to fold back into wide tracks, and its chest armor to flip and assemble into a turret.
In just a few seconds, a 15-meter-long, heavily armored fortress emitting a ghostly blue glow once again lay prostrate on the ravaged land.
Jiang Ming jumped back to the command seat through the hatch.
"Chen Qi, warm up the machine guns."
Jiang Ming pulled over the seatbelt and buckled it. "Marlow, push around the outer edge of the basin and inwards. Don't miss the crystal cores on the ground."
"Alright! Today we're going to rip these bastards' pants off!"
Marlow floored the accelerator.
The Immortal Source Engine let out a deep roar.
The golden tentacles beneath the chariot chassis plunged into the ground, propelling the massive vehicle forward like an arrow.
A few hundred meters ahead, a group of Lv.40 mutated frost giant wolves, having lost their target, were tearing each other apart.
"Try your Grandpa Chen's Thunder and Lightning King Set Meal!"
Chen Qi gripped the control stick tightly with both hands and pressed the fire button heavily with his thumb.
The [Magic Energy Thunderstorm Ripper Machine Gun] on the roof of the vehicle instantly burst out with a blinding purple-blue light.
Da da da da da—!
With a terrifying firing rate of three thousand rounds per minute, it drew a straight, thunderous whip through the air.
The moment the armor-piercing rounds slammed into the wolf pack, the [Thunderstorm Chain] effect was triggered in a frenzy.
Thick bolts of lightning bounced back and forth among the dozens of giant wolves. Before even a scream could be heard, the group of level 40 elite monsters were completely vaporized by plasma, leaving only a pile of glittering magic cores.
The chariot roared past, and the source material tentacles on its chassis seemed to have eyes, instantly picking up the magic cores on the ground and throwing them into the chariot's storage compartment through the recycling pipe.
"Cool!"
Chen Qi's face flushed with excitement. "Brother Ming, this thing is practically a cheat code for group fights!"
Jiang Ming ignored Chen Qi's wailing and was studying the newly dropped [Abyss Ruler Robe] on his body.
On the radar screen, three enormous [Abyss Executioners (Lv.40)] suddenly rushed out of the ruins on the left.
These three burly men were clearly of the same kind as the previous Gal, dragging bone-chopping knives burning with green flames as they charged towards the chariot with heavy steps.
"Marlowe, slow down."
Jiang Ming suddenly spoke.
"Huh? Boss, this thing's thick-skinned, just run it over!"
"Slow down when I tell you to."
The tank braked suddenly, its tracks carving two deep furrows in the ground, and stopped less than fifty meters in front of the three executioners.
Jiang Ming pressed the speaker button on the control panel, simultaneously activating the robe's [Domination Field].
Om-!
An extremely high-level abyssal pressure swept out from Jiang Ming in an instant.
Dark purple ripples pierced through the tank's armor, precisely enveloping the three executioners.
The executioner, who had been so aggressive, suddenly stopped in his tracks.
The soul fire beneath their helmets flickered violently, and their massive bodies trembled uncontrollably.
In the hierarchy of the abyss, the suppression of higher-level auras is absolute.
Three extremely weak mental connections immediately appeared in Jiang Ming's mind.
"interesting."
Jiang Ming leaned back in his chair and spoke calmly into the microphone, "You three, go and chop down all the gargoyles on that street to the right. Dig out the crystal cores and bring them to the front of the car."
The instant the command is issued.
Without any hesitation, the three executioners turned around abruptly and charged toward the group of gargoyles that were circling on the right side of the street, dragging their cleavers.
Knife up and down.
Green flames raged wildly through the streets, and the executioner was simply slaughtering the gargoyles who were several levels below him.
In less than three minutes, dozens of gargoyles were chopped into pieces.
The executioners obediently squatted on the ground, using their thick fingers to pry out the crystal cores one by one. Then, carrying a pile of crystal cores, they ran back to the chariot with small, quick steps and respectfully placed them next to the tracks.
The cockpit was deathly quiet.
Marlowe swallowed hard, then turned to Jiang Ming: "Boss... tell me honestly, are you a spy sent from the Abyss? Why are these monsters behaving like they're behaving like grandsons to you?"
"Shut up and get to work."
Jiang Ming put the crystal core delivered by the executioner into his storage ring, glanced at the radar, and said, "The control field can control ten people. Go and capture seven more laborers. Today, even if we have to dig three feet into the ground, we have to empty this wasteland."
"Shut up and get to work."
Jiang Ming put the crystal core delivered by the executioner into his storage ring, glanced at the radar, and said, "The control field can control ten people. Go and capture seven more laborers. Today, even if we have to dig three feet into the ground, we have to empty this wasteland."
Over the next half hour, an extremely bizarre scene unfolded in the ruins of the Winter Capital.
A dark gold steel chariot drove slowly ahead, followed by ten Abyss Executioners, each eight meters tall.
When they encountered minor monsters, Chen Qi didn't even need to fire a shot. The ten executioners simply rushed up with their swords and hacked wildly before skillfully looting the corpses, extracting the cores, and handing them over.
"Ming-ge, I feel like I've lost my job."
Chen Qi looked at the group of migrant workers outside and clicked his tongue.
Just then, the semi-mechanical radar on the roof of the car suddenly emitted a sharp alarm.
"Beep beep beep—High-concentration energy source detected!"
Jiang Ming immediately looked at the holographic screen.
Radar detected extremely strong magical energy fluctuations beneath a massive iceberg at the northernmost edge of the capital.
That fluctuation was even purer than that of the Grand Magus we encountered before.
"The former palace of the Winter Empire".
Jiang Ming glanced at the coordinates. "Marlowe, head north, let's go check it out."
The tanks rolled over the ruins and soon arrived at the foot of the iceberg.
The once magnificent palace complex has been completely corrupted by abyssal energy, leaving only a massive fortress formed from pure black ice.
The fortress gates were tightly shut, covered with intricate magic circles that emitted a faint blue light.
"Boss, this door seems to have a defensive barrier."
Marlowe parked his car a few dozen meters outside the gate.
Jiang Ming pushed open the cabin door and jumped out of the car.
Ten Abyss Executioners immediately surrounded him, standing behind him like bodyguards.
Jiang Ming walked to the black ice gate and sensed the energy fluctuations on it.
This should be the last legacy left by the royal family of the Winter Empire. The barrier is extremely strong, and even the Abyss Mother could not completely corrode it.
"Go, break down the door."
Jiang Ming gave the order without turning his head.
Ten executioners raised their cleavers and unleashed a barrage of attacks on the gate.
boom!
boom!
boom!
Sparks flew as the green flames of the soul crackled and burned on the ice gate.
But after two full minutes of hacking, the magic circle on the ice gate only flickered a few times, without even a crack appearing.
"Brother Ming, this turtle shell is a bit hard. Should I fire it with the main cannon?"
Chen Qi asked in the communication.
"No need to waste main gun charging."
Jiang Ming waved his hand, signaling the executioner to step back.
He walked to the door, took a half step back with his right foot, and suddenly exerted force with his waist.
The terrifying power of 92 points was poured into his right fist without reservation at this moment.
A piercing sonic boom echoed through the air.
Jiang Ming's fist slammed into the center of the magic circle on the black ice gate.
Boom! ...
The seemingly indestructible barrier didn't even last a second before shattering into countless ice crystals like glass.
The towering black ice gate, several meters high, was blasted in half by this punch, revealing a deep, dark passage inside.
"Walk."
Jiang Ming flicked the ice shards off his wrist and strode into the passageway. "Go in and inspect the goods."
The temperature inside the passage was extremely low, and the walls were covered with pale blue icicles.
Jiang Ming led Ma Luo and Chen Qi down the passage, leaving the ten Abyss Executioners outside to watch the car.
The passage is too narrow; those big guys squeezing in are just getting in the way.
"Boss, the royal family of the Frostwinter Empire is quite good at hiding their true identities."
Marlowe walked behind, holding a magic-powered rifle he had smuggled from the Azure Lion Kingdom, and warily surveying his surroundings.
"The better it is hidden, the more valuable the contents are."
Jiang Ming stared at the screen of the live radar; the light spot representing the high-concentration energy source was less than a hundred meters ahead.
After passing through a long corridor, the view suddenly opened up before me.
This is a huge underground space with an area larger than two football fields.
The walls around the space were inlaid with fist-sized luminous crystals, illuminating the entire treasure vault.
The underground space was almost completely filled with piles of gold coins, boxes of magic scrolls, and rare ores that emitted colorful light.
"Holy crap..." Chen Qi's eyes widened. He dropped his gun and pounced on the pile of gold coins. "Ming-ge! We're rich! This is way more lucrative than that treasure trove in the Azure Lion Kingdom!"
Jiang Ming ignored the worldly gold and silver treasures; his gaze was fixed directly on a high platform in the very center of the treasury.
On the high platform stood a display stand carved from crystal.
In the center of the booth, a palm-sized, fragmented metal piece emitting a silvery-blue light floated silently.
The patterns on the metal sheet were exactly the same as the [High-Level Dimensional Teleportation Portal Blueprint] in Jiang Ming's storage ring.
"The second piece of the blueprint."
Jiang Ming raised the corner of his mouth and walked straight toward the high platform.
He was less than twenty meters away from the platform when...
Click!
Suddenly, a crisp sound came from an ice wall at the deepest part of the treasure vault.
Immediately afterwards, an extremely violent burst of cold air, mixed with a nauseating stench of decay from the abyss, suddenly erupted from behind the ice wall.
"There's something alive!"
Marlowe reacted quickly, pulling Chen Qi, who was still rolling around in the pile of gold coins, to his feet and retreating swiftly.
Boom!
The entire ice wall suddenly shattered.
A colossal creature, over thirty meters long, emerged from the broken ice.
It was a giant dragon.
But it has completely lost the majesty that a dragon should have.
The once crystal-clear, ice-blue dragon scales are now covered with dark red malignant tumors and fleshy tendrils.
The enormous dragon wings were tattered and torn, and writhing black blood vessels were wrapped around the skeleton.
Its enormous vertical pupils had turned a murky, ghastly green, staring intently at the three people who had broken into the treasure vault.
【Alienated - Winter Guardian Dragon (Lv.52 - Lord Level)】
[Danger Level: Extremely Lethal]
【Characteristics: Abyssal Dragon Breath, Absolute Freeze, Aberrant Dragon Scales.】
[Note: Once the guardian beast of the Winter Empire, it was forcibly corrupted and assimilated when the Abyss Mother descended. Although it lost its sanity, it retained the terrifying physical strength and magical resistance of a dragon.]
"roar--!"
The dragon let out a deafening roar, and the foul-smelling wind almost blew Chen Qi away.
"Boss! This thing is way too high-level. We didn't bring our tanks in, let's retreat!"
Marlowe shouted and pulled the trigger of his magic rifle, aiming it at the dragon's eye.
The laser struck the dragon's eyelids, but didn't even leave a white mark.
Jiang Ming stood still.
He looked at the enormous creature that was gathering its strength to unleash its dragon breath, and instead of retreating, a hint of excitement flashed in his eyes.
"Withdraw what?"
Jiang Ming stretched his neck, his bones cracking like popping beans. "Perfect, I'll use it to try out my new skill."
With a thought, Jiang Ming immediately activated the epic-level skill that had just been revealed.
[The Flesh and Blood Mutation: Frenzy and Fury Has Begun!]
Stab it--!
Jiang Ming's blood vessels bulged instantly, and his skin surface turned a strange dark red.
The sound of a heartbeat echoed like a muffled drumbeat in the vast treasure trove.
20% of the health points were instantly drained and converted into extremely violent kinetic energy.
Strength attribute increased by 50%!
Agility attribute jumps by 50%!
Jiang Ming's current strength has directly broken through the inhuman barrier of 138 points!
"Hoo..." Jiang Ming exhaled a breath of hot white air.
He felt that even if he were facing a mountain, he could punch it through with one punch.
The dragon's abyssal breath has been fully charged.
A ghastly green, frosty breath gushed from its mouth like a waterfall, instantly freezing the ground in its path into solid black ice.
"Watch out, Ming!"
Jiang Ming did not dodge.
He exerted force with both legs, and the hard rock ground beneath his feet instantly cracked, creating a crater two meters in diameter.
boom!
Jiang Ming transformed into a dark red afterimage, charging directly towards the dragon's breath that was powerful enough to freeze the soul.
[Iron Will] is immune to the mental pollution that comes with dragon breath.
Its physical condition, which reached 45 points, withstood the extreme cold.
Jiang Ming instantly passed through the range of the dragon's breath and appeared directly above the dragon's massive head.
"Get down on your knees!"
Jiang Ming roared and precisely grabbed the two thick frost dragon horns on the giant dragon's head with both hands.
The terrifying power of 138 points erupted at this moment!
The dragon's massive body stiffened abruptly; its proud dragon power was utterly powerless against Jiang Ming.
Jiang Ming exerted force from his waist, his arm muscles bulging high, and forcefully pulled the dragon's head down to the ground.
Boom! ...
The entire underground treasure vault trembled violently, and icicles fell from above.