Chapter 51: Deathly Black Oil
As magical treasures and talismans struck the Wild Boar Mountain Whale, it let out a scream like a pig being slaughtered.
The magical treasures showed no obvious effect, but the talismans worked with striking clarity. Whenever a talisman landed on the Wild Boar Mountain Whale, a single hit would tear away a great mass of flesh and blood.
“That’s right, this is a boss with heavy physical defense. All physical attacks only force off one point of health on him, but his magical defense is negative. Use spells on him.”
By the time the players had reached this level of strength, they had each fought a good number of bosses. Even if they had never taken the initiative themselves, they had at least gone along for the ride and picked up some experience.
Once they made their move, they immediately understood the situation here.
Life-and-Death Oath hurriedly shifted personnel, sending all the sword immortals and others who could only use pure physical attacks over to the formation. They did not need to do anything else; it was enough that they continuously poured spiritual power into the Dui-Armor Coiling Silk Array so it would not be destroyed.
The freed-up manpower could then be used to attack with magical treasures and talismans.
In an instant, treasures of every color filled the sky, leaving even the temple master of Distant Mountain Temple staring in open-mouthed astonishment.
“They shall not look down on us. Thunder, descend!”
With the assistance of fifteen disciples, the temple master swept his whisk forward, and a bolt of lightning fell from the heavens.
Though that bolt of lightning was not as overwhelmingly powerful as the one that had once struck down the demon ridge at Jingyang Hill, it still far surpassed the level of every player present.
It hit the Wild Boar Mountain Whale squarely on the head and snapped both of its tusks clean off.
The temple master of Distant Mountain Temple was still somewhat dissatisfied. He had the fifteen disciples form a ritual array behind him, brandishing various command banners as they paced back and forth. He himself stood in front, ceaselessly swinging his palm, and with each motion he released a burst of palm thunder.
The sound and spectacle of that palm thunder could not compare with the players’ magical treasures, but its power was tremendous.
With every strike, it blasted pits into the Wild Boar Mountain Whale’s body.
The players were so stirred by the sight that they shouted in excitement one after another.
“Work harder, everyone! Don’t let the NPCs steal our boss!”
“Hurry up and hit it! If you don’t, all you get to do is watch a movie!”
“Take action already. If you don’t have magical treasures, use talismans. What use are they if you keep them now?”
“Why am I not level thirty yet? Once I reach thirty, I can learn spells!”
“I know a move called the Innate One-Cycle Great Grasping Hand. Does that count as a spell?”
Amid the chaos, Wang Liang was carrying the Life-Severing Blade, running nonstop around the outer edge of the Dui-Armor Coiling Silk Array.
The players had fought for so long, yet the Wild Boar Mountain Whale still kept all of its attention fixed entirely on Wang Liang.
No matter where Wang Liang ran, the Wild Boar Mountain Whale would turn its body to follow him.
Whenever it gathered enough strength, it would try to charge and ram him.
The players quickly noticed this. Those who were closer to Wang Liang, including Ghost Who Doesn’t Value His Life, hurriedly called out, “Big Boss Multi-Talented, keep running! Make that stupid pig spin around until he’s dizzy!”
Seeing how happy everyone was, Wang Liang did not mind running a few more laps. Still, he could not shake the feeling that things were not nearly so simple.
Earlier, even the Deputy Commander Yin Xun had nearly beaten them to death. How could this second boss possibly be so easy to handle?
Just as Wang Liang was riding the Bronze Warhorse in a circle, his heart suddenly tightened, and he seemed to sense that something bad was about to happen.
It was an instinct that had developed after he studied the Book of Changes. Usually, whenever he felt that tightening in his chest or a vague unease, he would divine for himself.
But with no time or conditions for divination now, Wang Liang’s instincts took over, and he urged the Bronze Warhorse to charge away into the distance.
The Bronze Warhorse was extremely fast, yet it still could not match the Wild Boar Mountain Whale’s reaction.
At that moment, the boss had just been reduced to half health, and the temple master of Distant Mountain Temple sent another palm thunder crashing into it.
The Wild Boar Mountain Whale suddenly reared up on two legs and shuddered violently. The mud that had been coating its body was shaken loose, and along with the mud came a great deal of pine resin and stone. All of it was splashed onto the nearby players.
No one knew how long that mud had been piled upon the Wild Boar Mountain Whale, but it was black and foul, carrying a stench so vile that every player splashed with it felt their limbs go weak and their strength drop sharply.
Looking more closely, they found that a stackable debuff had appeared on their bodies.
[Black Oil of Death: A coating of black oil clinging to the Wild Boar Mountain Whale. When the whale is attacked, it will splatter outward. Anyone stained by it suffers stacking negative effects, up to 99 stacks.]
[Stacks 1-30: Mud and Flying Stones. Strength reduced. Each stack lowers strength by 1 percent, up to a maximum reduction of 30 percent.]
[Stacks 31-60: Terrible Stench. Vitality reduced. Each stack lowers maximum health by 1 percent, up to a maximum reduction of 30 percent.]
[Stacks 61-90: Black-Oil Slime. Speed reduced. Each stack lowers movement speed and attack speed by 1 percent, up to a maximum reduction of 30 percent.]
[Stacks 91-99: Black Marsh. Devours the enemy, eventually turning the enemy into fresh black oil to replenish the Wild Boar Mountain Whale’s health. Executed as a kill effect, triggered once for each additional stack.]
The moment all the players saw this, they were utterly stunned. Their first thought was to see how to dispel the debuff of the Black Oil of Death.
The more it stacked, the weaker the players became. By now, they finally understood what sort of boss the Wild Boar Mountain Whale really was.
This thing was nothing but a tank-type boss, born to counter large-scale group assaults.
It could be said that the more people surrounded and attacked it, the happier it became, because in the end they were all just feeding it more life.
Among all the players, only Wang Liang had sensed something was wrong from the beginning and ridden the Bronze Warhorse out of the danger zone.
Now he came charging back. The instant he saw this scene, Wang Liang quickly ordered, “Ghost cultivators, use phasing and see whether you can dispel it. If not, fight in shifts. Once the effect reaches thirty stacks, pull out and handle it. Have the others take over.”
After speaking, Wang Liang glanced at the Wild Boar Mountain Whale again. “The mud on that thing is gone. Try physical attacks and see whether they work.”
As he spoke, Wang Liang rode the Bronze Warhorse and unleashed the move Shocking a Hundred Miles.
When the blade fell, a flash of lightning streaked across the Life-Severing Blade. Then thunder rolled between its edges, and the blade actually tore through the Wild Boar Mountain Whale’s skin, cutting a wound into its body.
The Wild Boar Mountain Whale was not a shade soldier like Deputy Commander Yin Xun. It was a corporeal demon beast, and the moment the wound opened, blood gushed out. At the same time, twisted black smoke began to rise from the Black Oil of Death that had been splashed to the ground at the start.
“Pig blood can remove the Black Oil of Death? Everyone, take turns!”