Chapter 126: Has the Malfunction Been Resolved?

The audience outside the arena was taken aback.

"What are those tentacles? That’s disgusting."

"Can these Black-Scaled Dragon Lizards mutate? I’ve never heard of such a thing."

"Exactly. I’ve fought Black-Scaled Dragon Lizards before; they just vanish once you kill them. Even when I cleared the level, there was no mention of mutations. Is this a new addition?"

The crowd buzzed with speculation, all trying to guess what these repulsive tentacles could possibly be.

Zheng Gang’s expression shifted, his eyes filled with murderous intent. "This is... the Void..."

Ye Die’s gaze also grew grave. "I never expected the Black-Scaled Dragon Lizards to be eroded by the aura of the Void, warping them into the likeness of Void monsters. This is going to be... troublesome."

Xu Han looked up at the Black-Scaled Dragon Lizard before him. A faint golden glow veiled his eyes, and the creature’s information appeared before him.

[Name: Void Dragon Lizard (Gold-Tier Boss)]
[Race: Earth Dragon]
[Level: 35]
[Skill 1: Void Scales LV.5 (Passive: The scales of the Void Dragon Lizard reduce incoming damage by 50% and reflect the damage back to the attacker.)]
[Skill 2: Void Ripple LV.3 (Absorbs Void energy to unleash a wave of force. Enemies hit are eroded by the Void, reducing their defense by 50% for 1 minute. Cooldown: 3 minutes.)]
[Skill 3: Void Tentacles LV.3 (Releases Void tentacles to attack. Enemies struck are bound by the Void, reducing their movement speed by 50% for 1 minute. Cooldown: 3 minutes.)]
[Skill 4: Void Dragon Claw LV.2 (Channels Void energy into its claws to strike. Enemies hit are suppressed and lose the ability to move for 5 seconds. Cooldown: 3 minutes.)]
[Skill 5: Void Descent LV.1 (Upon death, the Void Dragon Lizard creates a rift, summoning Void demons.)]

Xu Han frowned. This beast had been eroded by the power of the Void. Not only had its skills transformed, but its level and rank had also increased! Although it was only Gold-tier, its combat power was comparable to an average Platinum-tier boss.

"Roar!"

The Void Dragon Lizard let out a sky-shaking howl. Its massive body surged forward like a high-speed train, crashing toward Xu Han!

"Curse of Light!" Xu Han commanded in a deep voice.

A spectral projection of a Curse Mage appeared behind him, black light coalescing on its staff. The next second, a beam of pitch-black radiance shot out, striking the Void Dragon Lizard. Like silk, the darkness coiled around the creature, slowing its momentum.

"Blade of the Gale!"

Xu Han raised his hand again. A massive figure manifested behind him: the Gale Wolf King! Twenty razor-sharp wind blades gathered around the wolf.

*Whoosh—*

The blades whistled toward the Void Dragon Lizard.

*Slash!*

The blades streaked past, leaving several deep, ten-centimeter wounds on the creature's scales. Xu Han felt a sharp pain in his own body as his HP dropped slightly. This was the effect of the Void Scales: reflecting damage.

Xu Han furrowed his brows. If every attack could be reflected, the Void Dragon Lizard could wear him down until he was dead. He had to find a way around this.

Xu Han leaped aside, narrowly evading the creature’s charge.

*Boom!*

The Void Dragon Lizard slammed into the wall, causing the sturdy structure to shake violently and leaving a jagged, pitch-black hole in its wake.

"Darkness Descends!"

Xu Han raised his palm. The Black-Scaled Dragon Lizard appeared behind him and roared. A wave of darkness swept outward in all directions, enveloping the Void Dragon Lizard in an instant, the dense dark energy pulsating with activity.

"Summon Undead!" Xu Han growled.

A massive spectral Skeleton Warrior emerged, clutching a giant sword that it slammed into the ground.

*Boom!*

The ground cracked open, and two skeleton warriors in tattered armor climbed out, charging toward the Void Dragon Lizard. Within the shroud of darkness, the skeleton warriors seemed to move with increased speed. Xu Han felt a spark of hope—perhaps "Darkness Descends" had more utility than he thought.

However, the next second, with two dull *thuds*, dozens of white bones flew out of the darkness and clattered to the ground. Xu Han’s expression darkened. Even with the darkness, the skeleton warriors were simply too weak; they posed no threat to the Void Dragon Lizard.

*Boom!*

The darkness surged violently as a blood-red sphere of light erupted from within, hurtling toward Xu Han. He raised his hand.

"Damage Devour!"

The massive figure of the Steel-Armored Iron Crocodile appeared beside him. It opened its cavernous jaws, and a pitch-black vortex formed in front of it.

*Sizzle...*

The blood-red sphere was swallowed by the vortex. A second later, a sphere even larger than the original shot back toward the Void Dragon Lizard.

*Boom!*

The creature, unable to dodge, took the hit head-on. It let out a hoarse screech as a large portion of its scales were blasted away. The blood-red light clung to its body like raw flesh, pulsating and expanding. With every pulse, it devoured more of the scales.

Xu Han’s eyes lit up. He understood! As long as he used "Damage Devour" to reflect the damage, he wouldn't suffer the backlash of the Void Scales.

But the next moment, the Void Dragon Lizard shrieked and scrambled frantically toward the corpses of its fallen kin. It began to devour them voraciously. Within moments, the bodies were gone. Its own scales shed entirely, revealing a raw, fleshy form. The number of tentacles on its body multiplied, and one of its eyeballs was pushed out by a tentacle, plopping onto the ground. Its size doubled, growing into a twenty-meter-tall mountain of flesh.

In the office, Lei Hongguang stared at the screen with a smirk. "Xu Han, it’s time to end this. Farewell!"

The crowd in the plaza was filled with terror.

"What the hell?! Why does this thing keep changing?"

"This is absolutely disgusting!"

"It’s over... it’s transformed again... Xu Han is a dead man..."

Zheng Gang gripped the railing so hard that it buckled inward. His voice was laced with bitterness. "It’s really over this time."

Ye Die was about to speak but suddenly looked up at the sky. A rare smile touched her lips. "No, he is here."

Zheng Gang was stunned. "Who?"

Ye Die didn't answer, her eyes fixed on the giant screen.

Xu Han watched the mountain of flesh that was the Void Dragon Lizard with a grave expression. He could sense that this creature's combat power was far superior to the Void Giant Bear he had faced before; it was likely approaching the level of the Thousand-Armed Void Demon Boss.

Just as he prepared to strike, the dark screen flickered back to life.

*Beast Tower, Second Floor, Thirtieth Wave.*

A voice echoed throughout the arena.

"Safe mode initiated."

Xu Han paused. The system was back online?