Chapter 271: The Heart of Earth Appears, Linked to the Plant System

The terrain of the "Earth Core" Instance resembled a canyon, and could also be seen as a huge cave.

It went straight down, without any bends.

The monsters inside were myriad and strange, seeming to be mutations of various animals.

They were massive in size, with hard skin, and even greater strength.

Jiang Chen commanded the Skeleton Warriors, drawing out the monsters lurking in every corner.

Each time there were eighty to ninety of them; after gathering them, he handed them to Qiao Zhixin to use the Group Collection Technique, then cleared them.

As a result, his earnings doubled directly.

Gradually, the two of them became somewhat familiar.

Qiao Zhixin, though a bit timid, seemed to have no other issues.

They were clearly already level 59, and were no longer that naive little girl.

However, their personality was very simple, like a blank sheet of paper.

Another batch of monsters was dealt with, and the Skeleton Warriors had already gone to pull new monsters.

Qiao Zhixin didn't have the initial panic; from the second wave onward, they had already adapted to Jiang Chen's mass‑kill tactics.

Their talent and Combat Instinct took effect, allowing them to perform exceptionally well in battle.

Jiang Chen asked while walking, "Why are you erecting a tombstone for me?"

Qiao Zhixin whispered, "At that time you deliberately drew away the Ancient Luan Bird, sacrificing yourself so we could survive."

"We saw the Explosion from far away; although at a great distance, we still felt its power."

"We thought you might not survive. To commemorate you, we erected a tombstone."

The reasoning was sound, and Jiang Chen found himself unable to refute it.

Fine, let it be.

Anyway, the tombstone had turned into a fragment of stone, and it was probably gone by now.

This matter was thus revealed.

Over.

Another wave of monsters was pulled in, and Qiao Zhixin dutifully completed their work.

Jiang Chen, familiar with the route, cleared the monsters and obtained a large amount of Earth Fragments.

In the blink of an eye, 1,000 Earth Fragments had been collected.

It had only been two hours since entering the Instance.

This efficiency was astonishingly high.

The 1,000 Earth Fragments fused together, forming a clump of brown‑yellow light, which ultimately became an unremarkable yellow stone.

The yellow stone emitted the aura of Earth Element, not strong but very peculiar.

"Heart of Earth: an essential item for Job Changing into an Earth Knight."

Jiang Chen had also encountered many pure‑element gemstones.

The Heart of Earth felt different to him.

It was not made of pure elements; inside it seemed to contain some strange energy.

That energy felt familiar.

After careful recollection, he realized, "It is somewhat similar to the energy during a Job Change."

The Heart of Earth can indeed help a Holy Knight Job Change into an Earth Knight, and can even increase the probability of Profession Ascension for a Holy Knight during Second Transcendence.

With it, the Human Race may once again give birth to Earth Knights.

Qiao Zhixin's big eyes glowed with wonder, "So this is the Heart of Earth; I heard Earth Knights are formidable."

"Have you seen one?" Jiang Chen asked.

Qiao Zhixin shook their head, "I haven't seen one, but I've read about it in books. It says Earth Knights are the pinnacle of knight‑type professions, stronger than Holy Light Knights and Element Knights. Even the Dragon Race's Dragon Knights cannot surpass them."

Dragon Knights are the most powerful knight profession among the Dragon Race, and their numbers are equally astonishingly few.

In the past, the two clashed, and the result

was that the Earth Knight won.

This also cemented the title of Earth Knight as the strongest knight.

Jiang Chen's gaze turned to the distance, "Perhaps in the future there will be a chance to see one with my own eyes."

Book records always lack visual sense; seeing it with one's own eyes is better.

Jiang Chen also wanted to witness the bearing of an Earth Knight.

The canyon reached its end, and a strong heat wave slammed into them with the airflow.

The scorching temperature, combined with the ever‑present pungent sulfur, made the air even more turbid.

Their view was filled with alternating red and yellow, shrouded in a hazy yellow mist.

The canyon's end turned out to be a cliff.

Below, lava flowed, as if they had truly entered the Earth Core World.

Looking down, they could see the ground covered with flowing magma.

And within the magma, a Waterway coursed through.

The magma's high temperature boiled the Waterway, so only boiling water flowed.

The splendid interweaving of water and magma was displayed before the two.

"How amazing," Qiao Zhixin couldn't help but exclaim again.

Jiang Chen was already accustomed to oddities; this girl's number of exclamations was astonishingly high.

Reminding herself was useless; it wouldn't be long before—

Jiang Chen's gaze was like lightning; his powerful spirit let him sense a scene beyond his sight.

Scattered black specks appeared within the magma.

Those black specks were the monsters hidden inside.

The magma and Waterway intertwined, flowing toward the distance.

Looking far ahead, thousands of meters away, there seemed to be another magma waterfall.

It was veiled by yellow mist, preventing a clear view.

A thought stirred, and the Skeleton Warrior surged down first.

Although it was only a Nightmare-level Dungeon, the monsters inside were not strong for him.

Jiang Chen did not relax his vigilance because of that.

If it weren't for Qiao Zhixin's presence,

now he would at most have gathered only half the materials for the Heart of Earth.

The remaining materials must be obtained from this world woven from magma and hot water.

This is the latter half of the Instance, and the Difficulty should increase.

The Heart of Earth is certainly not easy to obtain; otherwise the Human Race's hold on the Heart of Earth would not be so scarce.

The Skeleton Warrior had just surged down when a Tentacle shot out of the magma.

With a whoosh, it coiled around the Skeleton Warrior and dragged it straight into the magma.

The speed was so fast that even Jiang Chen couldn't react in an instant.

The Skeleton Warrior was scorched by the magma and instinctively counterattacked.

Blade after Blade struck the Tentacle; the Tentacle was wounded, yet it only coiled tighter.

Each strike from the Skeleton Warrior carried massive force, raising a Fire Pillar...

The Fire Pillar shot up from the magma, reaching over ten meters high.

The Tentacle trembled continuously, seeming about to snap, yet it kept going.

What kind of creature is this!

It hides beneath the magma, invisible to the naked eye.

The Tentacle writhed desperately, tightly binding the Skeleton Warrior and pulling it down with force.

Some nearby Skeleton Warriors rushed over.

Whoosh!

A massive eruption of magma and sulfuric hot water burst simultaneously, sprouting countless Tentacles that dragged all nearby Skeletons into the magma.

Jiang Chen watched, and a thought stirred within him.

A Lich General sprinted over.

Sure enough, as soon as the Lich General reached the magma's edge, another Tentacle shot out and dragged it in as well.

Jiang Chen ordered the Skeletons to cease resistance, letting the Tentacle carry them away.

Hundreds of Tentacles hauled the Lich General and nearly a hundred Skeleton Warriors, moving through the space beneath the magma.

The Tentacles moved at lightning speed,

and in the blink of an eye covered a thousand meters.

A map of the terrain beneath the magma appeared in Jiang Chen's mind.

Beneath the magma lay winding passages, extremely complex.

Within the magma, many monsters still existed.

These monsters resembled fish and snakes, about two meters long, able to live freely in the magma.

When a Skeleton Warrior is dragged past them, they swarm together to attack.

Their attack power is strong; Jiang Chen judged the strength attribute to be between 50,000 and 60,000.

Stronger than the monsters he had previously slain.

The Lich General, while being dragged, cast a Skill.

White Light continuously emanated from its body and the Skeleton Warrior's, healing the wounds they sustained.

In the short term, there was no danger.

After several dozen seconds, Jiang Chen finally saw the Tentacle's master.

A colossal flower bloomed luxuriantly within the magma.

Its roots and stems spread densely beneath it, covering the entire magma land.

Above it was a magma waterfall, the magma pouring over it, irrigating it.

"A plant-type BOSS? Rare to see!"

"Let's go!"

Jiang Chen said that and leapt down first.

Qiao Zhixin quickly followed.

The dragged Skeleton Warriors, at the moment Jiang Chen acted, each unleashed a Skill.

Skill: Rage Power!

The massive attack burst instantly, severing the Tentacle parts bound to them.

Magma shot skyward, soaring dozens of meters, and a Fire Rain suddenly fell.

The Fire Rain fell on the ground, burning fiercely.

Falling into the sulfuric water pool, it stirred up thick yellow smoke.

The Skeleton Warriors broke free from their bindings, and also took the Lich General with them.

Brought it up.

A great number of monsters burst out of the magma, each having only a tiny foot on its lower half, and even after leaving the magma they can move freely.

They frantically chase the Skeleton Warrior and the Lich General, biting them.

The sharp teeth in its mouth are extremely keen; when it bites, it produces a sound like a metallic strike.