Chapter 122: A New Appearance

After slaying the first Lord of the Psychedelic Mountains, Li Ren and Mao Mao secured their initial start-up capital and embarked on a ruthless campaign to sweep through every Lord-level boss they could find.

There was no comparison between the loot dropped by Lords and that of ordinary monsters; furthermore, the experience and attributes offered by these bosses were in an entirely different league. Take the Iron-Saw Centipede, for instance: every item it dropped was of the highest quality. Even a player with Li Ren’s level and discerning eye could pick out two pieces of equipment worth keeping—let alone what others might find!

Coupled with the god-tier skill "Judgment of Fire," which could instantly push one’s damage output to an entirely different level—effectively doubling it—the sheer dominance was staggering. Armed with "Judgment of Fire," Li Ren, combined with "Dragon Battle in the Wild" and "Five-Star Burst," cut through any monster like a hot knife through butter. Even the subsequent Lords could not withstand the relentless, tag-team barrage from Li Ren and Mao Mao. After all, it was a two-on-one affair, with two quasi-Lord-level bosses ganging up on a single target. As their attributes climbed and their levels rose, dispatching these Lords became an easy and enjoyable task.

This sense of ease became even more pronounced once Li Ren reached level 100. The reason lay in the first red-tier equipment he had ever obtained, which he had received alongside the Purple-Gold Fist during the first siege of Yuxiao City.

That accessory. The one that had driven countless players to madness, and which had left Li Ren stunned upon seeing its stats:

**Heart of the Voodoo Lord**
*(Legend says this is the heart of a Lord from the deepest reaches of the Voodoo Lands, its powerful life force still pulsing incessantly. Perhaps, one day, he will return?)*
**Attributes:** All attributes increased by 10%. Maximum HP increased by 300%. Restores 5% of maximum HP every 5 seconds.
**Attached Skill:** Rebirth (15-day cooldown).
**Required Level:** 100.

The 10% boost to all attributes and the 300% increase in HP allowed Li Ren to immediately stand toe-to-toe with the Lord-level bosses. With an HP pool rivaling theirs, paired with "Judgment of Fire," the lifesteal properties of his "Dark Demon Domain," and the passive recovery of 5% HP every five seconds, his build had become truly monstrous. Since equipping this item, Li Ren had become a genuine tank. While the "Rebirth" skill had a 15-day cooldown, it provided him with significantly more room to maneuver.

By the time Li Ren finished clearing the outer perimeter of the Psychedelic Mountains and flew back toward Luoyun City, he was a completely different person from the one who had first set out.

**Name:** Bone by Bone
**Level:** 104
**Race:** Lord Skeleton
**Attributes:** HP 4,800,000/4,800,000 | MP 4,800,000/4,800,000 | Strength 230 | Intelligence 230 | Constitution 230 | Agility 230 | Bone Foundation (1,600) | Luck (15) | Souls Absorbed (1,950,000)
**Class:** Skeleton Guard
**Hidden Attributes:** Free Advancement, Absorption (Level 1)
**Upgradeable Skill:** Blink (Level 10): Instantly teleports 1,500 meters, ignoring terrain. Cooldown: 10 seconds. Can carry other living beings, up to 10 people at once.
**Self-Created Skill:** Half-Moon Slash
**Talent Skills:** Summon Super Skeleton Guard (Guard stats are 70% of the host; each summon costs 100,000 souls; duration 12 hours; max summon limit: 10, upgradeable), Blood Essence Conversion.
**Brutal Aura:** All humanoid targets within this aura have their attributes reduced by 5%.
**Apprentice of Creation (Level 3/Max):** Can freely modify and combine skeleton forms below level 150. Modifications never fail; attributes are determined by the resulting form. (The holy mission is to create.)
**Learned Skills:** Rain of Dust, Dragon Battle in the Wild, Judgment of Fire.
**Dark Demon Domain:** All creatures within this domain suffer a 10% reduction in Shadow Resistance. Allied units gain 10% Shadow Damage. Attacks have a chance to absorb health equal to 10% of maximum attack damage. Attack speed increased by 10%; health regeneration increased by 10%.

The progress during this period had provided Li Ren with immense growth, particularly the fusion of the Purple-Gold Bone and the incomparable offensive power granted by "Judgment of Fire." Looking at the level rankings, the other players—led by the likes of Solon—were also advancing rapidly. Solon had already surpassed level 100. Of course, Li Ren’s level 104 was built upon the slaughter of countless Lords in the Psychedelic Mountains.

Beyond level 100, the experience requirements seemed to shift. If the experience needed to go from level 99 to 100 was 1, then the experience to go from 100 to 101 was 10. A ten-fold increase in difficulty meant that no matter how fast one was, progress would inevitably slow down. Seeing that his experience gain had become extremely sluggish and that he had been away for a long time, Li Ren took Mao Mao and returned to Luoyun City.

Returning to Luoyun City this time, Li Ren no longer needed to sneak around or disguise himself as a human. Now, he swaggered into the City Lord's castle, descending directly from the sky with Mao Mao in tow. Long before Li Ren reached the vicinity of Luoyun City, Shadow and the others had already received reports from the guards about his return. By the time he arrived, the entire group was already gathered in the City Lord’s hall.

Seeing Li Ren return in high spirits, everyone crowded around him, overjoyed. It had to be said that during Li Ren’s absence, Luoyun City had undergone rapid development. Following the acquisition of Yuxiao City, the immense resources belonging to that massive fortress had instantly fueled Luoyun City’s growth. Tasks that were once only available in Luoyun City could now be accessed through the mission halls in Yuxiao City, extending their reach to every corner of the player world. Players no longer needed to use teleportation arrays just to exchange souls in Luoyun City. However, thanks to the popularity it had cultivated early on, the shops in Luoyun City had opened immediately, creating a truly excellent commercial environment. Even with the emergence of towns like the peerless Wushuang Legion’s settlement, they were still far from reaching Luoyun City’s level of development. After all, the city’s size, capacity, and number of shops were on an entirely different scale. In such an environment, Luoyun City was bound to flourish.