Chapter 480: The Expected Scene, Heading to the Seventh Stage

The fourth passage symbolizes the fourth stage.

Jiang Chen begins to estimate the intensity of the impending lightning strike.

When he steps into the fourth passage, an invisible lightning wave erupts violently before him.

The skeletal armor collapses without hesitation, showing no sign of struggle.

Vast lightning elements surge toward him like a tide, and a thin shield suddenly appears on Jiang Chen's skin.

Passive Skill: Damage Reduction!

Seventy percent of the lightning elements are kept out, the remaining thirty percent are neutralized by his own elements and then shared among all Undead Legion members.

The damage taken is not light, but still within a tolerable range.

Jiang Chen thinks that even a Divine-level Strongman arriving here might not be able to withstand such fierce lightning.

"The damage has indeed increased a lot; my guess was correct."

"Each Amplify adds 15% on top of the previous amount; last time was 100%, this time is 115%."

Jiang Chen feels the lightning's attack power multiplying; although he can endure it, the damage is not to be underestimated.

Previously he had to rest every 1,500 meters, but now he must pause roughly every 1,200 meters, further reducing efficiency.

Looking up, a hint of confusion appears on Jiang Chen's face.

"Why is there only one cluster of lightning?"

The lightning did not split into four clusters as he expected; instead it coalesced into one.

The quantity decreased, the form changed, becoming noticeably larger and more intense.

Jiang Chen feels a chill: "Could the BOSS tier have risen, from Lord-level BOSS to King-level BOSS?"

Jiang Chen's mind reels; he would rather

face four Lord-level BOSSes than face a single King-level BOSS.

An 85-level King-level BOSS could probably be compared to a 92-level Lord-level BOSS.

At this moment Jiang Chen inadvertently glances at the passage behind him.

"It's gone!"

His complexion instantly turns unusually grim.

The retreat is completely cut off; looking back, he sees only chaos, as if in a dead zone with no way home.

He quickly checks his items.

Except for the mysterious Abyss Teleport Stone, all teleportation items have already failed.

This place is neither a Secret Realm nor an Instance; those high-level scrolls are naturally useless.

And the random teleport scroll now lies inert, unusable.

Jiang Chen finally realizes why top-tier cultivators fall here.

He also understands why this spot is marked as extremely dangerous.

The downfall of those top-tier cultivators is not only due to the danger, but also because this place presents an inescapable dead end.

Perhaps some top-tier cultivators wisely chose to withdraw after the first three passages.

But those who pressed on into the fourth passage never returned.

From the fourth passage onward, there is no retreat; one can only move forward to the end.

Although full of trials, compared with those safe Divine Secret Realms, this place is undeniably hellish.

The danger of Burial Lightning Canyon exceeds Jiang Chen's imagination.

But now he has no way back and must grit his teeth and keep moving.

He endures the thunderous onslaught, stepping forward step by step.

Until the stars in the sky begin to tremble, as if about to fall.

A bolt of thunder cracks from the star

down, a massive Thunderlight Beast leaps out.

Jiang Chen no longer needs to use Detection Technique; by intuition alone he senses the Thunderlight Beast's power.

Ordinary Thunderlight Beasts are lithe, but the Lord-level Thunderlight Beast before him is like a small mountain, its height exceeding fourteen meters even while lying on the ground.

Those ordinary Thunderlight Beasts that Jiang Chen once considered giants now appear tiny before this Lord-level Thunderlight Beast.

And the Skeleton Warriors are like ants, insignificant beneath the Thunderlight Beast's massive body.

When the Lord-level Thunderlight Beast appears, it locks onto Jiang Chen; its massive body darts through the thunder at a speed that astonishes.

As the stars fall, Jiang Chen immediately releases his Undead Legion.

Skeleton Berserkers, like arrows loosed, charge the Lord-level Thunderlight Beast without hesitation; thunder continuously erupts around them, yet they press on.

The Lich General steadily casts the Legion Healing Skill from behind, supplying the frontline Warriors with constant life support.

Facing such a powerful opponent, Jiang Chen dares not be the slightest careless.

He summons all Liches except the Thunder Lich, and they each unleash their abilities.

Auras begin to rise beneath the Skeletons, instantly boosting their speed and greatly increasing their defense.

Meanwhile, the Thunderlight Beast becomes covered with layers of frost, and signs of poisoning start to appear.

Red, green, and white lights flash almost simultaneously, and Curse, Lethal Poison, and Skeleton Prison skills descend on the Thunderlight Beast without order.

Skeleton Prison

Although it cannot fully prevent the Thunderlight Beast's self-detonation, it at least interrupts its charge, buying the Skeleton Berserkers valuable surrounding time.

Skeleton Berserkers quickly encircle the Thunderlight Beast, while the Great Mage and Divine Archer retreat under the thunder's baptism, seeking suitable attack positions; they keep distance from the Beast to avoid self-detonation damage.

Jiang Chen knows that having come this far, a perfect victory is no longer attainable.

As long as victory can be achieved, some cost is inevitable.

He lightly flicked his fingers and cast Detection Technique. Although he already knew the opponent was a Lord-level BOSS, Jiang Chen still wanted to see its attributes with his own eyes.

"Thunderlight Giant Beast (Lord-level BOSS)"

"Level: 80"

"Strength: 800000"

"Agility: 800000"

"Spirit: 600000"

"Constitution: 700000"

"Skills: Thunder‑Lightning Absorb (Passive), Thunderlight Devastation"

"Traits: Thunder Element Immunity, can absorb thunder and lightning to strengthen itself, Life Enhancement, Strength Enhancement, Speed Enhancement"

Seeing these attributes, Jiang Chen felt a chill in his heart.

This Thunderlight Giant Beast's Strength and Agility both reached an astonishing 800000, while its Spirit and Constitution also had impressive values.

What made it even more tricky for him was that this beast also possessed the Thunder‑Lightning Absorb ability, meaning it could enhance itself by absorbing thunder and lightning.

Moreover, its Thunder Element Immunity made Jiang Chen's Thunder‑Lightning Lich useless.

Nevertheless, Jiang Chen was not discouraged by this.

He knew well that the outcome of a battle is rarely decided by a single attribute, but rather

requires a comprehensive consideration of both sides' tactics, skills, and Compatibility.

He believed that as long as he could wisely employ the power of the Undead Legion, he would surely defeat this powerful Thunderlight Giant Beast.

Apart from the basic attributes, this Lord-level Thunderlight Giant Beast is almost indistinguishable in appearance and skills from an ordinary Thunderlight Beast.

At Level 80, its All Attributes have surged to an astonishing 2.9 million, whereas the ordinary Thunderlight Beast's All Attributes are only 1.6 million—a gap of 1.3 million, a difference as stark as a minor wizard to a great one.

This gap is not merely a numerical reflection but a qualitative leap in combat power between them.

Although the attribute increase seems less than double, it is enough for the Lord-level Thunderlight Giant Beast to handle three or more ordinary Thunderlight Beasts with ease.

After observing the Thunderlight Giant Beast's attributes, Jiang Chen's gaze unintentionally fell on the Primordial Rune on the back of his hand.

He weighed it briefly in his mind and ultimately decided not to use it for now.

Now is not the time to play that trump card; he believes that as he continues deeper into this dangerous place, a moment will inevitably come when he needs to use it.

He might even need to employ more trump cards to face the upcoming challenges.

In the face of the Lord-level Thunderlight Giant Beast's terrifying attack power, the Skeleton Berserkers appear unusually fragile.

Each of the beast's blasts can fling swathes of Skeleton Berserkers away.

However, fortunately, the Skeleton Berserkers are numerous, and the Lich General's healing ability is also outstanding.

Those Skeleton Berserkers that are blasted away always manage to rise quickly and rejoin the siege.

Tens of thousands

The Skeleton Berserkers encircle the Thunderlight Giant Beast, giving it no chance to break through.

Meanwhile, the Skeleton Great Mages and Divine Archers continuously focus fire from afar, putting great pressure on the Thunderlight Giant Beast.

Jiang Chen quietly observes the battle from the side, his eyes flickering as if pondering something.

"Fourth Stage should have two Lord-level BOSSes," he speculated silently.

"Then by the Sixth Stage, there will probably be three."

"As for the Seventh Stage..." he took a deep breath, "will the legendary world‑class Thunderlight Beast appear? I just hope its level isn't too high, otherwise we'll have a hard time coping."

As time passes, the Thunderlight Giant Beast gradually shows signs of fatigue under the Undead Legion's siege.

Its body begins to emit dazzling light, clearly on the brink of self‑destruct.

Jiang Chen knows this is the most dangerous moment.

He decisively ordered that, aside from the Skeleton Berserkers continuing the siege, he and the other Undead Legion members retreat swiftly to a safe distance a kilometer away.

Yet even so, Jiang Chen still has no certainty in his heart.

He does not know how large the Lord-level BOSS's self‑destruct radius is, and can only pray that his estimated distance is safe enough.

The intensely dazzling electric light makes Jiang Chen instinctively shut his eyes tightly, avoiding injury from the piercing glare.

In Burial Thunder Canyon there is a dead silence, as if even the wind has stopped breathing. No matter how fierce the battle, this place is like a silent film, only light and shadow intertwine, with no sound fluctuations.

Jiang Chen closes his eyes; although darkness surrounds him, his perception feels magnified several times.

In his mind, the faint signals of Skeleton Berserkers constantly echo,

their weak sensations, they struggle in the thunderlight, then one by one are devoured by the raging energy.

The Thunderlight Giant Beast's self‑destruct radius far exceeds Jiang Chen's imagination, reaching an astonishing roughly 500 meters. This is far larger than an ordinary Thunderlight Beast's self‑destruct range, and its power is incomparable.

In that raging thunderlight, the Skeleton Berserkers are like fragile pieces of paper, easily torn apart. Their bodies melt in the thunderlight, turning into wisps of black smoke that dissipate into the air.

Jiang Chen feels a tightening in his heart; he knows this self‑destruct has caused massive losses to the Undead Legion. Those Skeleton Berserkers are warriors he carefully cultivated, each bearing his blood and hopes.

Yet now they vanish one by one in the thunderlight, filling him with profound sorrow.

Fortunately, Jiang Chen had previously ordered the Skeleton Berserkers to fall back a distance, otherwise the casualties would have been even heavier.

He takes a deep breath, striving to calm his inner turbulence. He knows now is not the time for grief; he must quickly recover from this loss and prepare for the upcoming challenges.

After dealing with the Lord-level Thunderlight Giant Beast, Jiang Chen lets out a slight sigh of relief. Though the losses are heavy, he has also gleaned some intelligence about the Thunderlight Giant Beast's self‑destruct.

This will greatly aid his forthcoming actions.

He continues forward, summoning new Skeleton Berserkers as he goes to replenish the previous losses. He knows the road ahead is long, and he must maintain sufficient combat power.

As his grasp of the Thunderlight Giant Beast's self‑destruct situation deepens, Jiang Chen becomes increasingly composed in his response.

The upcoming Fifth Gate, Sixth Gate,

are just as he expected; although the process is arduous, he ultimately conquers each one.

Half a day later, Jiang Chen stands before the entrance of the Seventh Gate. He looks at the four diverging paths ahead, and a surge of heroism wells up in his heart.

He knew that the upcoming battle would be even tougher.

He took a deep breath, then stepped forward with resolve toward the seventh passage. He knew the next would be a hard fight and was already prepared.