As the colossal body of the Heaven Burning Beast crashed down, Lin Zhao offered a silent thank you. He was grateful to Elder Sun Qinghe, for without the defensive effect of the Golden Armor Immortal Robe gifted by him, he would have surely been beaten into a pulp. Moreover, had the Boss’s attack landed a critical hit, Lin Zhao's health would have been instantly depleted. Even Chen Xue couldn't have tanked it indefinitely, and a successful raid would have turned into a war of attrition, potentially costing the Scarlet Moon Knights thousands of lives to claim the first kill on this Saint-tier Boss. Such a loss would have been unimaginable.
Just then, a ringing sound echoed across the human realm. The first kill reward had arrived.
"Ding!"
System Announcement: Congratulations to player [Bai Yi] and their team for successfully defeating the [Heaven Burning Beast] (Saint-tier Boss), achieving the first kill! Congratulations to player [Bai Yi] for ranking first in team contribution, receiving rewards: Level +5, Charm +10, Reputation +12,000, Gold Coins +50,000, Golden Sardine Coins +10, and an additional reward: [Zhan Lu] (Saint Artifact). Congratulations to player [Bu Jian Xing Kong] for ranking second in team contribution, receiving rewards: Level +4, Charm +8, Reputation +10,000, Gold Coins +40,000, Golden Sardine Coins +7, and an additional reward: [Ethereal Gauntlets] (Saint Artifact). Congratulations to player [Lu Li] for ranking third in team contribution, receiving rewards: Level +3, Charm +6, Reputation +8,000, Gold Coins +30,000, Golden Sardine Coins +5, and an additional reward: [Starry Sky Scepter] (Ghost Artifact). The remaining players in the top ten contribution rankings are: Mo Chen Xue, Ren Jian Xiao Ku Gua, Yu Jin, Bu Su Li Ren, Shao Nian Luo Fan Chen, Lin Feng, and Chen Feng. All participating players will also receive rewards of varying amounts!
...
"Zhan Lu?"
Lin Zhao felt no great joy at instantly leveling up to 164. Instead, a Saint-tier artifact named Zhan Lu was incredibly exhilarating. Was it time to change his weapon?
Opening his inventory, he indeed found a sword with a sapphire blade lying in a corner. Shen Xingchen, Chen Xue, Roman, and Mo Chen Xue crowded around, eager to see the ultimate reward from the Saint-tier first kill. Lin Zhao, not stingy, waved his hand, sharing Zhan Lu's attributes with everyone. He himself was taken aback; this item was truly extraordinary.
[Zhan Lu] (Saint Artifact)
Attack: 8250-10550
Strength: +225
Stamina: +222
Agility: +220
Spirit: +219
Special Effect: Lifesteal +28%
Special Effect: Sword Skill Damage Increase +55%
Special Effect: Damage Increase, User's Attack Damage +100%
Special Effect: Armor Penetration, Ignores 65% of target's defense
Special Effect: Deals 75% splash damage to targets within 8 yards of the target
Additional: Increases user's attack power by 95%
Additional: Increases user's defense by 93%
Trait: Growable
Lore: Zhan Lu, an ancient fallen immortal sword, is said to have been forged by a divine craftsman as the Emperor's immortal sword. However, the Emperor was ultimately mortal and could not wield a true immortal sword, causing Zhan Lu to fall into the mortal realm, gathering dust over time. Yet, once it reappears, the more battles it experiences and the more enemies it slays, the more it grows.
Required Strength: 5500
Required Level: No level restriction
...
"Damn..."
Chen Xue frowned, feeling somewhat speechless. At the current stage, the upper limit of a Ghost Artifact's attack was only around 4000. This Zhan Lu, however, directly exceeded 10,000. For instance, Lin Zhao's base attack power currently only reached a maximum of 13,000+. This sword alone provided so much base attack power; it was a game-changer.
"It can grow too..."
Shen Xingchen's lips parted slightly, her Dao heart wavering. She should have played as a Swordsman from the start instead of a Mage.
Roman narrowed her beautiful eyes and smiled, "According to the description, the more bad guys and great demons brother kills, the faster this sword grows. It's already a Saint Artifact now, so the next step should be becoming an Immortal Artifact, right?"
"Yes."
Lin Zhao said with anticipation, "Once it becomes an Immortal Artifact, it should correspond to the legendary Immortal Swords."
"So powerful!"
Ding Chi stared at Lin Zhao's Quan Quan, "What are you waiting for? Hurry up and switch! Give me Quan Quan..."
"Damn it!"
Lin Zhao knew this guy had an ulterior motive, but Ding Chi was his best, closest brother, someone he could talk to about anything. So, without much hesitation, he readily swapped, giving Quan Quan to Ding Chi. The moment he held Zhan Lu, Lin Zhao felt as if his major meridians had been opened. A torrent of potent sword intent surged into his arm, filling his entire body with overwhelming sword power. A single strike with this sword would likely be terrifying. Looking at his personal stats now, there was a world of difference compared to before.
[Bai Yi] (Grand Swordsman)
Level: 164
Attack: 16440-19860 (+613%)
Defense: 10550 (+625%)
Health: 149620 (+20%)
Critical Hit: 32%
Lifesteal: 70% (Extreme)
Damage Reduction: 49%
Damage Increase: 492%
Intelligence: 99
Charm: 115
Reputation: 261780
Combat Power: 65520
Realm i: Nascent Soul Realm
Realm 2: Marrow Cleansing Realm
...
At this moment, Lin Zhao's true damage output had reached an astonishing level. After the equipment-based percentage increases, his actual attack power reached 117,217-141,601, exceeding 140,000 attack power at its peak. Combined with his balanced attack range and 65% defense penetration, any hit from this sword would be devastating.
With 65,000 combat power, he was firmly ranked first on the national power rankings. Coupled with various artifact enhancements, Lin Zhao truly had no need to compare himself with any other player. There was no comparison, and indeed, his mind was not focused on other players but on the ever-changing tides of the world.
"Alright."
Shen Xingchen said, "A Xue, let's check the loot and distribute it quickly."
"Okay."
Chen Xue began to loot the equipment. This was the first kill of a Saint-tier Boss, and the recipient was Lin Zhao, a player with over 100 charm. Consequently, the loot was abundant, with over 30 pieces of equipment. Among them, a pair of Saint Artifact boots were rolled and won by Lu Li. Following that were three Ghost Artifact items, none of which Lin Zhao could get. Finally, there was a fiery red mount seal stone. As Chen Xue picked up the seal stone, she smiled, "Alright, no more distribution. This item belongs to the Guild Leader. We can't let him fight for nothing."
"Ah?"
Everyone was surprised. Lu Han laughed, "Chen Xue, we can do some behind-the-scenes maneuvering, but we still have to show the brothers what it is, right? It's good to broaden our horizons."
Bu Su Li Ren chuckled, "Right, right, at least let us see it. Whatever treasure it is, I'll be convinced if it goes to the boss. But let's see it first."
"Fine."
Chen Xue said, "In any case, I believe this item should go to Lin Zhao. He's the only one in the entire Scarlet Moon Knights who deserves it and is most suited to possess it."
With that, she waved her hand, sharing the mount seal stone's attributes for everyone to see. Instantly, everyone was stunned.
[Heaven Burning Beast] (Saint-tier Boss Mount)
Strength: +320
Stamina: +318
Agility: +315
Spirit: +312
Attack Increase: +245%
Defense Increase: +265%
Movement Speed Increase: +425%
Max Health Increase: +35,000
Special Effect: Mounted rider's attack range +5
Skill: Trample, has an 18% chance to trigger a trampling effect when attacking, dealing significant attack damage to surrounding targets.
Skill: Heaven Burning, unleashes a Heaven Burning attack, dealing 300% damage to targets within a 20-yard radius of itself, with a 12-second cooldown.
Skill: Indestructible Fire Armor, summons an indestructible shield unique to the Heaven Burning War Steed, greatly increasing its defense and spirit resistance for 15 seconds, with a 30-second cooldown.
Skill: Pressure, exerts an extreme pressure effect on mounts below Saint-tier, causing the mount owner's attack damage against itself to be greatly reduced.
Mount Resilience: +140%
Description: Heaven Burning Beast, an ancient exotic beast from the Ancient Dragon Swamp.
Required Level: 150 (Note: Player's current level is 164, mount attributes increased by 9.3%)
...
"Impressive..."
Bu Su Li Ren looked surprised, "They actually dropped the Heaven Burning Beast mount..."
"Mm."
Chen Xue smiled and said to everyone, "Our Scarlet Moon Knights have now conquered the Heaven Burning Forest Valley map. From now on, this area will continuously produce Heaven Burning War Steeds, and our Scarlet Moon Knights' Heaven Burning Iron Cavalry will surely be established. Since everyone will be riding Heaven Burning War Steeds, it should be reasonable for our Guild Leader to ride the Heaven Burning Beast, right?"
"Absolutely reasonable!"
Lu Han took a deep breath and laughed, "If Lin Zhao doesn't ride the Heaven Burning Beast, then no one in our Scarlet Moon Knights has the qualification to ride it. And honestly, there's nothing to argue about. If Lin Zhao hadn't been here, we wouldn't have gotten the Saint-tier first kill. If any of us had rolled the Heaven Burning Beast, just for touching the Boss a couple of times, we'd feel ashamed, wouldn't we?"
A group of mounted combat players nodded in agreement.
Chen Xue directly handed the mount seal stone to Lin Zhao and smiled, "Alright, it's yours. Let's do a little behind-the-scenes operation. We can't always follow the rules strictly. If we strictly followed the Scarlet Moon Knights' rule of rolling for every Boss, ordinary players would have no chance to team up with top players. If they have the strength to solo, why would they bring you along?"
"Yes."
Shen Xingchen wholeheartedly agreed. Chen Xue's words were logical and reasonable. Although they were in the same guild and their friendship was strong, interests were always present. She and Chen Xue, as vice-guild leaders, had to consider all aspects.
"Okay."
Lin Zhao accepted the seal stone and nodded with a smile, "Then thank you, brothers. I'll take the Heaven Burning Beast. If there's a chance, I'll charge into battle with you all."
Everyone nodded with smiles.
Thus, the level 60 Dark Gold grade mount, the Snow Rock War Horse, could finally retire. For the esteemed Lin Bai Yi to ride such a mount was truly beneath him.
...
Ancient Dragon Swamp, Fourth Layer.
A vast lake stretched out. On the edge of the lake stood a player, Chang Ye Yu Huo, the Guild Leader of the Cold Night Long guild. He had been pursued by players from the human faction to this level and was in a sorry state. However, Chang Ye Yu Huo was unwilling to give up the rich resources of the Ancient Dragon Swamp so easily and wanted to try one last time.
He took out a blood-red talisman from his inventory, a Spirit Summoning Talisman, given to him by his master, Long Zheng, before he left.
"Swish!"
The moment the Spirit Summoning Talisman was ignited, a deep blue six-pointed summoning array formed on the lake's surface. In the next instant, a great demon in white robes stood on the water. He looked refined, holding a folding fan, and smiled, "Eleventh Realm Bai Yu, greetings, Young Master."
"Mm."
Chang Ye Yu Huo frowned, "Can you summon the Ancestral Mountain Water Tribe to assist?"
"Yes."