Chapter 66: The Boss Awakens

Although she very much wanted to strike this woman hard from behind, a voice within warned her sternly: Do not act rashly, or terrible consequences will follow.

Just as the woman with the deadly weapon clenched her fist for the third time, the long-tongued man drifted to her side. His lifeless eyes glanced at her, and he shook his head.

“Stop your little tricks, or you'll end up dead!”

With a gentle flick of the soul-calling banner in his hand, Zhao Bai immediately regained consciousness.

The two exchanged a glance, then quietly retreated to the side.

It was as if Lia exuded a tremendous, unknown pressure upon them—an instinctive terror, like that of a mouse before a cat.

...

Mu Tianyi was already dead.

Charlie lay on the ground, his mutilated hand a bloody, mangled mess.

Not far away, Marcus had returned to his human form. Clearly, he had lost the strength to fight, blood continuously spilling from his mouth.

Zhao Tai had regained some energy, thanks to his restorative abilities.

Marcus coughed violently, spitting blood, his complex gaze fixed on Qiguan Bei. “Qiguan Bei, why did you do this? Why…”

Yorick shook his head and smiled faintly. “So, has the warm-up ended? How disappointing. Have the Awakened teams become so weak?”

He turned to Qiguan Bei, squinting. “I never expected the one who killed my subordinate, Qiguan Bei, to be so feeble. Did I frighten you into submission?”

Qiguan Bei stood motionless, head bowed, his gaze vacant and unfocused.

Suddenly, Yorick’s expression changed, his eyes growing strange as a thought struck him. He stepped forward, stopping directly in front of Qiguan Bei.

Standing so close, Yorick stared into Qiguan Bei’s eyes, adopting an odd posture.

Their gazes met, but Qiguan Bei’s eyes remained hollow and empty.

Raising an eyebrow, Yorick slowly reached out and gently tapped Qiguan Bei’s forehead.

An astonishing scene unfolded.

A red glow began to emanate from Qiguan Bei’s body, spreading outward. At the same moment, a wave of killing intent swept the hall.

It was as though, with the unsealing of some power, a different Qiguan Bei was awakening.

Yorick immediately retreated to the side, faint wisps of black mist seeping from his body.

Qiguan Bei’s expression remained blank, his gaze still unfocused, yet the murderous aura surrounding him grew ever more intense.

Lia instinctively looked toward Xiao Zhang, whose face was grave, his eyes fixed on Qiguan Bei.

“Xiao Zhang?” Lia called.

Xiao Zhang forced a bitter smile and replied in a low voice, “Don’t ask me, I don’t know what’s happening either. Honestly, I haven’t known Qiguan Bei for long! Maybe this is one of his abilities.”

At that moment, Qiguan Bei began to speak. “So, it was you insects who barged into my Dragon Palace?”

Just then, everyone’s mission abruptly changed.

Notification: The White Dragon boss has returned to life through a host. Kill the boss or survive the boss stage to complete the instance. Countdown: two hours.

Players, please note: The boss is about to awaken. The boss is about to awaken.

The grand doors of the hall swung open. Swarms of shrimp and crab soldiers, arrayed in neat ranks, poured in!

Meanwhile, the white dragon’s body on the dais was slowly dissolving into a stream of white light, which flowed into Qiguan Bei’s form. The stone skins of the dragon’s guards began to crack and fall away as well.

“Get ready for a real fight!” Lia, in contrast, seemed delighted.

“Fight? The boss is waking up! We need to get out of here!” Xiao Zhang had no intention of staying—the group was exhausted and in no state to fight. As for Qiguan Bei, they could only hope to find a chance to save him later.

More and more shrimp and crab soldiers flooded in, closing in around the group. From above, their dense formation looked like a swarm of moving black ants!

Yorick shouted, his arms flexing as he roared, “Deal with the grunts quickly! Don’t waste your strength. We’ll come back when the boss is weakened!”

“Same plan as always,” Yorick barked, “Follow me! We’ll break through toward the main hall—let the Awakened act as cannon fodder at the rear!”

He dashed for the doors, the woman with the deadly weapon and the long-tongued man close behind.

“Keep your pace steady,” Yorick instructed, watching the approaching minions. “Don’t rush to use your skills—we’ll need them for the guards.”

...

“Hurry! Everyone, stick together!” Xiao Zhang had already grabbed Zhao Bai and rushed toward Marcus and Zhao Tai when the first wave of minions surged through the doors.

Lia shrugged and followed—Marcus’s position offered a perfect defensive spot.

As Xiao Zhang passed by Charlie, he let go of Zhao Bai and dragged Charlie by the leg to safety.

They reached the stone platform where Marcus lay. Xiao Zhang watched the swarming shrimp and crab soldiers—slow-moving, but their tightly packed formation was enough to make one’s scalp crawl.

“Don’t hold back! Let’s get through this!”

He glanced at his companions—those he could still rely on to fight: Lia, Marcus, and himself.

Zhao Tai appeared a little more energetic, but he was barely able to stand.

As for Zhao Bai…

“Zhao Bai,” Xiao Zhang called, “Protect your brother and this guy!”

Zhao Tai exhaled and answered softly, “Got it.”

Xiao Zhang noticed the system had unlocked, so he drew Spider Cutter.

Lia had already readied her twin blades. She seemed increasingly excited as more minions appeared, flashing Xiao Zhang a grin and saying, “Less talk! Just stay behind me!”

The dark tide of enemies surged before them. These silent, stony shrimp and crab soldiers uttered no sound, their orderly ranks radiating a chilling murderous intent.

Suddenly, a creaking noise came from one of the guards.

First, its arm moved, then the stone armor on its body cracked and fell away. It raised its arm, summoning a long spear into its grip.

Then the second, the third… all the guards awakened.

At last, the final guard stood out—a figure different from the rest. Though humanoid, this one had nine heads.

The hydra suddenly drew the sword at its waist and swung it forcefully!

At that instant, as if receiving a command, the soldiers split into two formations.

The ranks divided with surgical precision; the shrimp soldiers in front raised their shields, while the eel archers at the rear drew their bowstrings…