Chapter 38: The Shackles Unlocked! The Terrified Lord!

"Share the boss panel with me." Li Yao said coldly.

He was only level 17 and could not appraise a level 25 monster.

"It's over, it's all over!"

"What kind of difficulty is this Primal Dungeon anyway? How could there be a Lord-class creature?"

"A Lord-class! Even in Purgatory-difficulty dungeons, a boss like this doesn't necessarily appear!"

Yang Junfei wailed, clutching his head, not even hearing what Li Yao said.

It was Kujo Mise who shared the Lord's attributes to the team panel.

[Tongue-Ripping Queen]
[Level 25 (Lord)]
[HP: 500,000]
[Strength: 812]
[Spirit: 385]
[Agility: 854]
[Stamina: 841]
[Skills: Exoskeleton LV MAX, Dynamic Vision LV MAX, Decomposition Glands LV 7, Bone Spikes LV 5, Tongue-Ripping Screech LV 7, Unstoppable LV 1]

"This is a Lord-class monster?" Li Yao looked at the attributes in disbelief.

Lord-class, as the name suggests, refers to those super-powered monsters qualified to occupy an independent territory and proclaim themselves kings. Facing such monsters usually requires human-wave tactics, with a hundred or even a thousand people raiding them.

Yet, at only level 25, it had three attributes exceeding 800. Even Kujo Mise, an SS-rank professional decked out in top-tier gear, only had a maximum attribute—Spirit—of 500. A gap of 300 points could constitute a dimensional strike. Not to mention that this Tongue-Ripping Queen’s attributes were crushing across the board!

One look at Kujo Mise’s expression was enough to tell. She was frowning, her face filled with terror. Putting aside her resentment toward Li Yao, she spoke up:

"Li Yao-kun, let's set aside our personal matters for now."

"I just want to know, if you have my buffs, can you kill this monster?"

Li Yao replied indifferently: "No."

He was telling the truth. Regardless of whether he had buffs or not, it would be difficult to kill this Tongue-Ripping Queen with his chess pieces alone. Even counting the Void Mantis, the most they could do was inflict heavy injuries. Given the vast gap in attributes, killing it outright was out of reach.

Meanwhile, the Tongue-Ripping Queen was already locked in combat with the Void Predator. The Queen was not large, similar in size to the Predator, but upon contact, it was a one-sided thrashing.

[-1431]
[-908]
[-652]
[-891]
...

Each attack sprayed large clouds of blood from the Predator. With unparalleled attack speed, the Predator had no way to parry, and its health dropped to two-thirds in mere moments. As for the Void Predator, only its [Rupture] skill could deal damage to the Queen, but the Queen’s speed made it impossible to hit her easily.

"Bluebird." Li Yao couldn't watch any longer and issued an order.

The range of the Glacier Storm instantly engulfed both the Predator and the Queen. The Void Predator seized the opportunity to retreat violently. With the Predator no longer blocking the way, countless chunks of goblin flesh flooded into the passage. Yang Junfei and Song Anqing were suddenly exposed to the monster horde, their lives hanging by a thread!

"Since you cannot handle the crisis at hand, I will give you one more chance."

At this moment, Kujo Mise’s voice sounded in Li Yao’s ear. He turned his head and saw her figure gradually fading. He didn't care about her words, but was rather curious. Wasn't it said that escape scrolls couldn't be used here?

Noticing Li Yao’s confusion, Kujo Mise took the last moment to explain:

"This is a unique teleportation talisman of our Kujo family. It can connect with Kujo family members anywhere and teleport us to each other."

"I won't repeat what I said before. If you agree now, I can take you with me..."

"Get lost," Li Yao said without looking up. "If you keep yapping, you won't be leaving at all."

As he spoke, the Void Mantis appeared behind Kujo Mise.

"You fool!" Kujo Mise’s brows surged with anger. Just as she was about to speak, she sensed a chill coming from behind her. She immediately turned into a streak of light and vanished before Li Yao’s eyes.

"Coward," Li Yao muttered.

After all, she was a princess of the Kujo family; he wouldn't strike unless he was certain he could keep her there. What he said earlier was just to scare this self-righteous woman.

"Hahaha! Idiot!"

When Li Yao looked toward the Tongue-Ripping Queen, Yang Junfei’s manic laughter suddenly rang out. Li Yao looked over. Yang Junfei and Song Anqing were both wrapped in a transparent light shield. The countless chunks of goblin flesh surrounding them were attacking frantically, but the shield didn't budge!

"Let me tell you! This is the Spirit-Protecting Light Array, which can only be activated by the simultaneous activation of the formations from both our Yang and Song families! It can withstand a full-force strike from a second-turn professional!"

"As long as the attack isn't at that level, it cannot be broken! It can last for a full twenty minutes!"

"It’s something a bumpkin like you will never see in your entire life!"

"Hahaha! I once said that even if I die, I will die after you!"

At this moment, Yang Junfei was like a madman, biting at anyone he saw. Beside him, Song Anqing just squatted on the ground, clutching her head and sobbing uncontrollably. Facing death, everyone had different states of mind.

"Refusing that woman Kujo Mise, hahaha! Go ahead and wait for your death, you fool!"

Li Yao wasn't going to get angry at the frantic barking of a dying dog. However... aren't these scions of noble families a bit too much? First the Kujo family’s teleportation talisman, now some Spirit-Protecting Light Array. He didn't have a single one of these life-saving items.

"Void Mantis," Li Yao murmured.

*Then you won't have yours either.*

At the same time, the purple body of the Void Mantis appeared before the light shield. Sensing its master's intent, the Void Mantis showed no mercy and struck directly with Taste Their Fear.

*Snap.*

"Huh?" Yang Junfei hadn't realized the severity of the situation. "No... isn't it?"

*Boom!*

With just one strike, the light shield shattered instantly.

"That's not right!" Yang Junfei was scared witless. "Li Yao... no, Brother Li, this is a misunderstanding!"

"Go discuss your misunderstanding with the goblins."

Li Yao finished speaking and ignored Yang Junfei, turning his gaze back to the Tongue-Ripping Queen. The moment the Void Mantis appeared, the Queen had stopped moving, her blood-red eyes staring fixedly at the Void Mantis. Powerful beasts could often sense creatures that threatened them. For one as strong as the Tongue-Ripping Queen, this was even more true.

In a split second, the Queen judged that the seemingly small creature before her could kill her. Li Yao looked at this cautious Lord and chuckled lightly.

"Hey, don't mistake your opponent."

He spun his King's Scepter in the air, caught it, and tucked it behind his waist. If he let the Void Mantis attack the Queen, it could deal damage, but the Mantis might die. Given the massive agility gap, the Mantis might not have time to use its Void Assault skill.

"Designate... Void Mantis."

[Designation successful!]

"Activate!"

Over two thousand points of Strength surged into Li Yao’s body. A massive aura erupted, chilling to the bone. Compared to the last time, the strength gained from activating [Shackle] was like heaven and earth. Li Yao felt every cell in his body leaping.

The Tongue-Ripping Queen sensed this power. She turned back abruptly, her tail standing straight up. In the Tongue-Ripping race, a standing tail signaled a state of high alert.

Or perhaps... it signaled fear!