As the two colored stone statues revived.
The golden light that enveloped the sky became noticeably brighter, and a faint phantom image appeared on the lotus pattern at the center of the hall.
In this instant!
The previously empty plaza completely came alive.
"90% physical damage reduction?"
Tang Zheng's eyes widened as he saw the information displayed above Growth Heaven and Broad-Eyed Heaven: "Are you kidding me? How are warrior players supposed to fight this?"
Bang! Bang!
Growth Heaven and Broad-Eyed Heaven, with their colossal bodies over 5 meters tall, took a step forward simultaneously, causing the entire ground to tremble and an oppressive aura to surge.
Tang Zheng looked at the two figures before him, their faces contorted in rage, like the heavenly gods of legend. He suddenly felt like he was playing a game again, standing in the protagonist's shoes and facing a game boss.
However!
Playing a game and facing the reality of it were completely different.
Tang Zheng's entire body tensed instinctively. With such high damage reduction and no prior intel, a direct frontal assault was the worst possible strategy.
In games, you had a chance to revive; in reality, you didn't!
Use magic for long-range attacks!
Tang Zheng instantly decided on his strategy, stomped the ground, and retreated again, simultaneously activating his [Ninja] skill.
"Ninjutsu: Shadow Clone Technique!"
Shadows writhed!
Tang Zheng and his Shadow Clone flashed, both simultaneously retreating, creating sufficient distance between themselves and the two Heavenly Kings ahead.
The entire hall was quite spacious, offering some tactical depth.
Growth Heaven, entirely clad in blue, cast a fierce gaze, drew a long sword glowing red from his body, and let out a divine roar:
"Your greed, anger, and ignorance shall be severed today!"
"All your sins are but vanity!"
Broad-Eyed Heaven, entirely clad in red, had the scarlet snakes that previously resembled ribbons on his body come alive at this moment, coiling and moving on either side of his shoulders.
Whoosh!
Tang Zheng wasn't interested in listening to the Heavenly Kings' slogans at this moment. He took out a "Frogman Egg" from his Item Box and tossed it to his Shadow Clone.
This would allow it to exist for a longer duration!
The Shadow Clone inherited his MP value completely. The initial mana consumption would be handled by the Shadow Clone.
[Shadow Clone - MP: 883/918]
"Tenth Tier - Heating!" the Shadow Clone cast the magic first.
Tang Zheng naturally had no intention of waiting for the opponents to make the first move.
BOOM—!
In an instant!
Centered on the Shadow Clone, the air within dozens of meters turned into pure crimson. Indescribable light and heat expanded instantaneously, creating a massive shockwave that erupted with a roar.
The terrifying blast wave, mixed with temperatures exceeding a thousand degrees, instantly engulfed the two Heavenly Kings!
The moment his Shadow Clone cast the magic, Tang Zheng had already closed his eyes to prevent it from affecting his vision.
"Hah!"
"Hah!"
Two angry roars echoed from the direction of the two Heavenly Kings.
As the blinding red light vanished in an instant.
Tang Zheng quickly opened his eyes and looked forward. The terrifying heat had distorted the air, making the two colossal figures, over 5 meters tall, appear slightly blurred.
His first action was to check their health bars!
Tang Zheng needed to determine the damage dealt by this attack magic.
A small portion of the red, illusory health bars above the two Heavenly Kings' heads had disappeared, roughly about 1%.
"The damage is this low?" Tang Zheng's expression turned grim.
This was a Tenth Tier magic spell!
And it was also due to the level difference between them that the opponent's stats received a boost.
Thump! Thump!
Growth Heaven, wielding his crimson longsword, his massive blue figure suddenly began to run, displaying a speed far exceeding his size.
「Greed Severance」
The red longsword swung.
A golden slash, faintly marked with the character "Greed," flew in from a distance.
[Shadow Clone - MP: 873/918]
"Fifth Tier Magic - Skeleton Wall!" the Shadow Clone reacted swiftly.
Crash!
A wall composed of numerous white bones rapidly rose from the ground, skeletal figures within it emitting terrifying roars.
Boom!
The slash descended, shattering the Skeleton Wall on the spot.
"Triple Crimson Pythons!"
Broad-Eyed Heaven also activated a skill. Three magic circles suddenly appeared in front of his body.
Hiss~ Hiss~ Hiss~
Three crimson pythons, each over ten meters long, shot out from the magic circles, slithering rapidly towards Tang Zheng and the other individual.
"One is a warrior type, the other a summoner?"
Tang Zheng's mind flashed with this thought as he observed the attack patterns of the two Heavenly Kings, temporarily confirming basic intelligence.
Boom!
Growth Heaven, wielding a longsword, had already closed the distance after breaking through the Skeleton Wall's obstruction. He raised his longsword again and swung it.
"Scatter!"
Tang Zheng's eyes flashed, and he issued a mental command.
The Shadow Clone, inheriting the full agility stats, immediately moved towards the other side.
"Envy Slash!"
Growth Heaven's icy gaze locked onto the Shadow Clone, and his longsword simultaneously swung in the direction the Shadow Clone was moving.
An attack, imbued with the golden character "Envy," flew out!
[Shadow Clone - MP: 863/918]
"Skeleton Wall!" the Shadow Clone cast the magic again.
The wall of white bones rising from the ground once more blocked the attack.
It had to be said that this magic, as a defensive measure, possessed extremely high value, both in terms of mana consumption and practical use.
Seeing Growth Heaven pursuing the Shadow Clone.
"As expected, Growth Heaven is prioritizing the Shadow Clone, which deals magic damage, and ignoring me, who hasn't attacked at all."
A glint flashed in Tang Zheng's eyes. "Therefore, Growth Heaven should be susceptible to 'aggro mechanics'."
He glanced at the Attribute Panel.
Tang Zheng noticed that the skills used by the two Heavenly Kings were not displayed on the panel, and he couldn't help but furrow his brow slightly.
Hiss—!
The three crimson giant snakes did not pursue the Shadow Clone. Instead, they surged towards Tang Zheng.
"As a summoner, Broad-Eyed Heaven isn't affected by the Shadow Clone's 'aggro'?"
Observing the three crimson giant snakes, Tang Zheng didn't retreat further, as he had already reached the very edge of the entire plaza.
The area behind him, which appeared hazy, was actually a wall-like barrier.
He issued another command to the Shadow Clone!
[Shadow Clone - MP: 798/918]
"Magic Resistance Breakthrough - Tenth Tier - Heating!"
——Boom!
Scorching light and heat enveloped his vision once more. Fiery red light instantly covered the entire plaza, and a terrifying shockwave spread out.
Whoosh!
The impact not only blasted Growth Heaven, who had already reached the Shadow Clone, backward but also sent the three crimson giant snakes flying.
Screams of agony rang out!
Under the terrifying high-temperature attack.
The scales of the three crimson giant snakes turned black and charred. They writhed in pain, but they did not die.
Tang Zheng and the Shadow Clone, possessing "Fire Immunity," were naturally unaffected.
Tang Zheng's sharp gaze fell upon the health bars of the two Heavenly Kings. This time, their health dropped by nearly 2%, with Broad-Eyed Heaven losing even more.
"I've figured out most of it."
A smile appeared on Tang Zheng's face, and he issued new mental commands.
Since Growth Heaven could draw aggro, he would have the Shadow Clone continuously use "Teleport" and "Skeleton Wall" for movement and defense.
Tang Zheng focused on dealing with Broad-Eyed Heaven.
"Teleport"
The Shadow Clone activated magic and teleported to a corner diagonally opposite the plaza, the furthest one.
"Roar!"
Growth Heaven, holding a crimson longsword, roared and turned, charging towards the Shadow Clone's direction.
Seeing the plan succeed!
Tang Zheng's gaze immediately locked onto Broad-Eyed Heaven, and the three scorched, crimson giant snakes charged again.
"Heh, you guys don't have the 90% physical damage reduction buff!" Tang Zheng sneered, stomped the ground, and rushed forward, reaching out to grab the void.
An ice-blue weapon, seemingly crafted entirely from frost, was pulled out.
Lizardmen Treasure: Pain of Ice Fang!
This weapon had a restriction that only "Lizardmen and their higher races" could use it, and Tang Zheng couldn't use it before, only collecting it.
However.
Since obtaining the [Dragon Race Transcender] profession, the weapon's restriction was gone, which was an unexpected surprise.
After all, that Magic Greatsword was already full of cracks, its durability lost too much, nearing the point of being unusable.
His figure flashed!
Tang Zheng, clad in crimson armor, appeared before the three giant snakes. Before they could attack, a black energy surged from within him.
"Dark Wave!"
The energy spread, and all three crimson giant snakes froze in place, unable to move.
"These three giant snakes are around level 50."
Tang Zheng sensed the Life Strength of the three giant snakes, his gaze cold as he swung Pain of Ice Fang. A white, sharp gleam flashed.
Three snake heads flew into the sky!
Broad-Eyed Heaven seemed enraged, declaring majestically, "Your sins are all but vanity!"
Swish! Swish! Swish!
The three defeated crimson giant snakes dissolved into bubbles, but a beam of light shot out from their bodies simultaneously.
"There are other effects?"
Tang Zheng's eyes widened in surprise as he quickly retreated.
But the three beams of light were incredibly fast, or rather, they were unavoidable. In an instant, they struck Tang Zheng.
Three snake-like phantoms wrapped around Tang Zheng's body, forming a series of runes with triple effects: immobilization, fear, and weakness.
Almost at the same time!
Growth Heaven, who had been pursuing the Shadow Clone, suddenly stopped its pursuit and disappeared from its original spot.
Shadows enveloped Tang Zheng.
"Sinner!"
Growth Heaven, holding its crimson greatsword, appeared before Tang Zheng as if teleporting. The blade sliced through the air, swinging down heavily.
Affected by the "Fear" and "Weakness" debuffs.
Tang Zheng experienced a brief moment of disorientation, but thanks to the passive ability [Divinely Blessed Body], he quickly recovered.
Boom!
The greatsword fell, striking the ground with a resounding thud.
Tang Zheng had already dodged. With the ability [Movement Hindrance Immunity], the immobilization debuff had no effect on him.
However!
After Tang Zheng dodged, Growth Heaven instantly reappeared before him, forcing him to dodge again in resignation.
"This attack pattern..."
Tang Zheng noticed the three snake-like phantoms wrapped around him: "Is it some kind of mechanic?"
If that's the case!
"Guiding Oath of Redemption!"
Tang Zheng activated the [Valkyrie] skill, his entire body emitting a faint white glow.
He rarely used this skill because it required him to identify an opponent's attack and then forcefully pass the identification.
No one had ever made Tang Zheng use this skill before!
Under the skill's effect, the three snake-like phantoms coiled around him twisted their serpentine bodies, seemingly unwillingly, and dissolved into points of light!
Growth Heaven's peculiar pursuit pattern paused at this moment. It looked up at Tang Zheng, who was closest to it, and charged.
This time, the teleport-like attack pattern was gone!
"As expected, it's a combination-type mechanism!" Tang Zheng's gaze was deep. After a moment of surprise, he felt it was normal.
It was nothing more than the usual game mechanics.
"The 'aggro' seems to have been cleared. I'll have to have the Shadow Clone re-establish aggro."
Seeing that Upholder of Nations wasn't continuing to attack the Shadow Clone and was instead advancing towards him, Tang Zheng realized the "aggro refresh" and prepared to have the Shadow Clone cast magic.
Suddenly!
The golden light enveloping the sky flashed, and Tang Zheng and the Shadow Clone froze in place, unable to move.
No, it was a complete stop!
The entire space fell into a bizarre state of stillness, like a "time stop" type of magical effect.
However.
The Heavenly Kings, Growth Heaven and Broad-Eyed Heaven, were completely unaffected. Their two pairs of cold gazes fixed on Tang Zheng and the Shadow Clone, but they made no move to attack.
Spatial distortion!
Tang Zheng continued his backward movement, his eyes fixed forward, constantly monitoring Growth Heaven's next action.
Abruptly!
Tang Zheng's pupils contracted. The appearances of Growth Heaven in front of him and Broad-Eyed Heaven at the rear had changed.
Growth Heaven's position was replaced by a Heavenly King with a snow-white face, holding a magic item shaped like a pipa.
And where Broad-Eyed Heaven had been, there was now a Heavenly King with a jade-green face, holding a magic item resembling a long-handled umbrella.
Upholder of Nations (Lv85) · -90% Magic Damage
Many-Heard Heaven (Lv85) · -90% Magic Damage
The surrounding environment also showed subtle differences. The most obvious was that the lotus pattern in the center of the hall had disappeared, replaced by a square pattern.
Seeing this, Tang Zheng's face turned green. He knew exactly what had happened.
He had initially thought he would need to deal with two Heavenly Kings first, and then the other two. He hadn't expected them to switch during the battle.
"Tenth Tier Magic · Heating!"
The Shadow Clone still cast the magic as instructed by Tang Zheng.
Boom!
Terrifying high temperatures raged, crimson light enveloped the entire space, and fierce winds swept in all directions.
The Heavenly Kings, Upholder of Nations and Many-Heard Heaven, only swayed slightly, with no reduction in the lines above their heads.
"This time it's a 90% reduction in magic damage!"
Tang Zheng gritted his teeth. Magic attacks could no longer damage the two Heavenly Kings before him, let alone the fact that he didn't possess Super-Tier Magic.
The Shadow Clone's existence was now rendered useless!
"Hey, hey, you guys are really giving me a headache!" Tang Zheng gripped the Pain of Ice Fang with his backhand.
There must be some mechanism governing the Heavenly Kings' transformations, which he couldn't analyze yet. But with opponents switching directly in the middle of combat like this, the longer it dragged on, the more disadvantageous it would become for him.
"If magic attacks don't work, then I'll use physical means!"
Tang Zheng's eyes hardened. Since the Shadow Clone was useless, he would enter the fray himself.
He had no intention of using "Heroic Spirit Soul" at the moment!
"Limit Break!"
"Ability Enhancement!"
"Ability Super-Enhancement!"
"Probability Perception!"
"Gale Acceleration!"
"Gale Break!"
"Battle Aura Concentration!"
Tang Zheng spoke in a low voice, a powerful aura gradually surging around him. His head felt slightly swollen, but he wasn't affected.
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