Nie Yan crossed through the misty area, and in the distance, a giant dog appeared before him. Its body was as large as an average brown bear, covered with thick fur that dragged along the ground. It stuck out its crimson tongue, from which rose steaming hot vapors.
It was a fire-elemental creature capable of using flames!
The giant dog was pacing restlessly inside the cave, its neck chained with a thick iron chain. The other end of the chain was firmly embedded into the rock, restricting its movement. Its activity area was very small, but it had a ranged attack, making it extremely threatening to players. As soon as it detected someone nearby, it would definitely spit out a jet of fire immediately.
Nie Yan crept forward cautiously. When he was about thirty yards away, he cast a Scout spell.
Black Flame Hound: Level 70 Boss, HP 320,000/320,000.
Another level 70 boss, with a total of 320,000 HP. This Black Flame Hound was guarding this area, and Nie Yan couldn’t get past. The cave ahead looked dark and endless.
With Nie Yan’s current strength, defeating the Black Flame Hound was absolutely impossible. He estimated the length of the chain around its neck at about ten yards.
The only way was to dash past it!
But even that wouldn’t be easy.
Nie Yan gradually crept closer to the Black Flame Hound, getting to about twenty yards away, when suddenly the beast lunged toward him, opening its mouth and spewing a jet of scorching flame.
Flames roared, waves of heat pressing in.
Nie Yan activated his Divine Blessing skill and charged straight ahead, enduring the flames.
The fire poured down on Nie Yan and scattered instantly upon contact with his body. Sparks crackled and burst, but couldn’t harm him at all—Divine Blessing granted magical immunity!
The dazzling fire forced Nie Yan to shut his eyes tightly.
At that moment, the Black Flame Hound suddenly accelerated, lunging toward him with its sharp claws whistling through the air, attempting to tear him apart.
Just as the Black Flame Hound’s claws were about to strike, Nie Yan suddenly activated Dash Step. With a “ding” sound, he used Dash Step’s invincibility effect to block the attack.
Nie Yan’s body darted beneath the Black Flame Hound, narrowly avoiding being crushed.
He accelerated and sprinted forward, using a Speed Scroll and activating Quick Retreat. Just get past it first!
The Black Flame Hound missed its attack, landed, and quickly turned around to pounce again.
Nie Yan’s speed was clearly no match for the Black Flame Hound. Soon, it caught up from behind and swiped at Nie Yan’s back.
Shadow Dance!
With a “ding” sound, Nie Yan used the first two seconds of invincibility from Shadow Dance to block the attack, but the tremendous force from behind still sent him flying.
Nie Yan flipped backward through the air, used his right hand to cushion the fall, and landed on his feet, barely maintaining his balance.
Before Nie Yan could react, the Black Flame Hound was already upon him again. He didn’t dare hesitate and ran as fast as he could.
Without Dash Step and Shadow Dance, what else did Nie Yan have to block the Black Flame Hound’s attacks?
The Black Flame Hound’s attack speed was several times faster than Nie Yan’s, making it impossible to dodge with simple body movements.
If the Black Flame Hound hit Nie Yan, it would almost certainly be an instant kill.
Nie Yan ran at his maximum speed, constantly changing directions in a zigzag pattern to evade the Black Flame Hound’s attacks. The beast hesitated slightly but quickly resumed its pursuit at full speed.
As the Black Flame Hound was about to pounce, Nie Yan suddenly shot a strand of spider silk from his left hand. The silk stuck to the cave wall about five yards away, and with a hard pull, his body flew sideways, narrowly avoiding the attack.
The Black Flame Hound continued its relentless pursuit, its claws just inches from Nie Yan’s back.
Nie Yan flew sideways for over ten yards, retracted the spider silk, landed, stumbled a few steps, and barely steadied himself.
In that brief moment, the Black Flame Hound reached Nie Yan from behind, its claws drawing closer. Nie Yan appeared completely unaware.
Just as the tragedy seemed inevitable and the Black Flame Hound was about to deliver a fatal blow, suddenly something changed. The thick chain restraining the Black Flame Hound suddenly tightened—the chain was too short! A powerful force tugged at the beast’s neck, yanking it backward.
The Black Flame Hound was pulled back several steps by the chain. It lunged again, but was immediately yanked back once more. The chain was stretched taut. No matter how hard it tried to attack, it couldn’t reach Nie Yan anymore.
The chain had reached its limit. The enraged beast spat flames, sending fireballs toward Nie Yan. However, Nie Yan’s Divine Blessing was still active.
Nie Yan smiled slightly. His estimation of the distance had indeed been correct. Although it had been a heart-stopping moment, he was very relieved. He had made it through safely.
Nie Yan quickly left the Black Flame Hound’s attack range and dashed forward.
After moving over fifty yards away, Nie Yan finally slowed down. He was finally safe.
Looking back, the Black Flame Hound was still standing there, panting heavily, occasionally exhaling jets of scorching breath.
After escaping the Black Flame Hound, Nie Yan continued through the winding passage for several hundred yards until a hidden chamber appeared before him. It was a very small chamber, about 3×3 yards in size. The entrance was enclosed by iron bars made of a unique dark-colored metal, embedded with rich magical elements. A large iron lock secured the bars.
The iron bars looked extremely sturdy.
Nie Yan looked inside and saw a thin old man chained to the wall within. His wrists and ankles were bound in iron cuffs, connected to thick chains that allowed him only limited movement within the chamber’s corner.
The old man’s robe was slightly faded, but he still appeared energetic. Though short in stature, he exuded a sense of explosive power.
Nie Yan raised his eyebrows. This was the last hostage!
Nie Yan cast a Super Insight spell on the old man.
Parrot: Level 70 Boss, Rogue, Elder of the Rogue Guild, Marquis.
This old man held a high position—actually an elder of the Rogue Guild and a Marquis. Thinking back along the path he had taken, finding him had truly been no easy task!
Nie Yan examined the iron bars. They were made of thick steel rods, each engraved with tiny runes that were nearly imperceptible upon casual observation.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage