Chapter 272: Again the Heart of the Earth, a Rich Harvest

The monsters chased the skeletons wildly, biting as if they were frenzied.

The dense tentacle root stems extending from the magma lashed the skeletons like whips.

The sheer number of tentacles meant each skeleton was attacked dozens of times every second, a frequency hard to believe.

Fortunately the attacks weren't especially strong; even the Lich General, giving his all, could still hold the situation.

The Skeleton Warriors also fought back, brandishing great blades at lightning speed, slaying the pursuing Earth Fire Fish one by one.

"Killed Earth Fire Fish level 55, experience +1100000"

"Obtained Earth Fragment"

Jiang Chen saw this information; the monster's level was 55.

It wasn't particularly strong; compared with monsters in the Core Area, its power lagged.

Only the Skeleton Warriors killed enemies so fast that by the time Jiang Chen arrived, dozens of monsters had already been cleared, causing him to lose many Earth Fragments.

He threw a Detection Technique at the BOSS.

Jiang Chen was very interested in plant‑type BOSSes.

"Earth Flower (Elite Boss)"

"Level: 56"

"Strength: 80000"

"Agility: 20000"

"Spirit: 20000"

"Constitution: 120000"

"Skills: Slash, Pollen, Regeneration"

"Traits: Fire Attribute Immunity, Elemental Damage Reduced 50%, Physical Damage Reduced 50%"

It turned out not to be a BOSS, just a Boss-level Monster.

Its total attributes reached 240000, slightly weaker than BOSSes of the same level.

Without Jiang Chen saying a word, Qiao Zhixin rushed toward the BOSS.

Used skill: Group Collect!

The skill shot out like fireworks, covering all monsters and also the Earth Flower.

The Earth Flower instantly stopped attacking the Skeleton Warriors, and the tentacles simultaneously pulled toward Qiao Zhixin.

At the same time, the Earth Fire Fish also charged at Qiao Zhixin.

Qiao Zhixin let out a scream and quickly retreated.

The tentacles moved at extreme speed, swarming toward Qiao Zhixin.

Qiao Zhixin seemed unaware of the Skeleton Armor's presence, and without hesitation returned to Jiang Chen's side.

Jiang Chen found it somewhat amusing—a level‑59 adventurer acting so cowardly in an Instance, truly laughable.

A faint Red Light flickered, and all the monsters before him were shrouded in a Damage Curse.

Immediately followed the familiar explosion sound.

Harvest time.

During the Corpse Explosion, the Earth Fire Fish died cleanly in the blink of an eye.

The Earth Flower was also blown apart miserably.

A multitude of petals were blown down, falling into the magma.

The Earth Flower became enraged, the whole magma earth rumbling loudly.

Countless tentacles burst up from underground.

Within a radius of a thousand meters, almost everything turned into a tentacle world.

Tentacles rose, covering the sky, sweeping forward.

Every hundred tentacles intertwined, forming thick vines that, when swung, dealt even greater force.

Skeleton Warriors were flung into the air.

"Didn't expect them to combine; the attack power increased a lot."

Jiang Chen sensed the damage the Skeleton Warriors took, thereby deducing the opponent's attack power.

After merging they were indeed much stronger than before, but still insufficient.

The Skeletons quickly counter‑attacked, snatching their great blades to slash the vines away.

The Skeleton Mages also unleashed a dense barrage, all targeting the Earth Flower.

As long as the main body dies, these tentacles become mere dead things.

With the Earth Flower's eruption, hundreds of Earth Fire Fish leapt out of the magma and sulfuric water.

So many monsters appearing at once, plus the sky‑filled tentacle vines, once again made the timid Qiao Zhixin break out in cold sweat.

Although they were only Nightmare‑level monsters, their numbers were overwhelming.

If only a six‑person party entered, it would be a death sentence.

At least an eighteen‑person team is needed to take it down, perhaps even more to ensure safety.

Based on past experience, an eighteen‑level team is the bottom line.

The "Earth Core" Instance has never limited the number of entrants; you can organize many more to join.

As for two people entering, it's simply impossible to clear.

Thus when Jiang Chen and Qiao Zhixin entered, the Abyss Demon and Dragon Race did not intervene.

They thought two people could never clear the Instance and would die inside.

Yet everything turned out beyond their comprehension.

Qiao Zhixin glanced at the calm Jiang Chen.

Her heart steadied considerably.

She knew the entire Instance was being solo‑run by Jiang Chen, and she was merely a tool.

But that was fine; most of the time, she was a tool.

Being a tool didn't seem so bad.

Qiao Zhixin actually felt a joy in being a tool.

"Your task has arrived."

Qiao Zhixin cheerfully replied, "Alright!"

She said that and ran over, beginning to set off fireworks.

There were too many monsters; one big firework wasn't enough.

Qiao Zhixin launched firework after firework, making all the monsters sparkle.

After finishing, Qiao Zhixin zipped back in a flash, running at top speed.

Then she heard a deafening Explosion.

Skill: Corpse Explosion!

Jiang Chen kept triggering Corpse Explosions one after another.

The earth cracked, and lava and sulfur water were blown together,

raising thick smoke.

The whole area was filled with a heavy sulfur smell, turning it into lethal poison.

Bone Armor automatically materialized, blocking all the toxic gas.

The Earth Flower was severely wounded again by the Explosion.

Countless vine Tentacles were shattered by the blast, scattering on the ground.

It glowed all over, with massive lava gathering on its body.

The petals that had been blown away were rapidly Regenerating.

Skill: Rebirth!

Qiao Zhixin said, "Plant‑type monsters have exceptionally strong life force; they're hard to wear down. To deal with them, you have to kill them in one go."

Jiang Chen understood Qiao Zhixin's meaning.

Their life force is extremely strong, a hallmark of all plant‑type monsters.

The Earth Flower suddenly spewed a massive cloud of Pollen, which fell into the air and then detonated with a roar.

Bone Armor blocked all attacks; amid the Explosion, Skeletons hurled the bodies of Earth Fire Fish toward the Earth Flower.

Jiang Chen began detonating again!

This time, the Explosion roared continuously.

There were hundreds of corpses on the ground, more than enough.

The Skeletons kept throwing, and Jiang Chen kept using his Skill without pause.

As long as no kill notification popped up, Jiang Chen would not stop.

The lava pool where the Earth Flower stood was completely destroyed, with lava spewing everywhere.

The lava waterfall was blown to flow upward.

Lava rain fell across the sky, turning the area into a Fire Sea.

"Kill Earth Flower: Experience +2,240,000"

"Obtained Earth Fragment ×500"

"Obtained Earth Fragment ×500 via Collecting Technique"

When the kill notification appeared, Jiang Chen finally stopped detonating.

The life force of plant‑type monsters truly is formidable.

He detonated at least fifty times in total before finally killing it.

These plant‑type monsters, as long as any root remains,

can regenerate quickly.

The haul was huge; the Earth Flower gave 500 Earth Fragments outright, and the Collecting Technique added another 500, equivalent to obtaining one Heart of Earth.

There were also the Earth Fire Fish that had been blown dead earlier.

The Earth Fragments obtained could be combined into another Heart of Earth.

That instantly yielded two Hearts of Earth.

Hearts of Earth, being Rare reserve material, are naturally better the more you have.

Now Jiang Chen has three Hearts of Earth on hand.

The Instance hasn't ended yet.

Having slain the Earth Flower, the lava waterfall also vanished.

This land lost its vitality and became withered.

The flowing lava cooled at a visible speed, growing dim.

The sulfur water stopped boiling.

"Let's go."

The two leapt onto the cliff and kept moving forward.

Above the cliff lay brand‑new earth.

On the ground there should have been Waterways flowing with lava.

But now the magma has cooled, the Waterway has become hard ground.

The two walked for a while and did not encounter any monsters.

The Skeleton Warrior running ahead also did not encounter any monsters.

The open black earth seemed somewhat eerie.

The Earth Element aura here is even stronger.

It feels as if every inch of land is emitting a strong Earth Element aura.

The more bizarre the situation, the higher Jiang Chen's alertness.

This area is too large, larger than the first two zones of the Instance.

The light from the airborne plants grows dimmer, and the whole space becomes increasingly dark.

"There is light ahead."

Qiao Zhixin suddenly pointed ahead.

After walking for a while, they finally saw a different color.

The red light was like a lamp shining on the black earth.