Chapter 130: The Curtain Falls

"Huzi, Swordsman, Berserker, you three are the damage dealers. Mind your attack rhythm and don't use any skills." After instructing the three, Ye Chen turned to Monk Dingyuan: "Monk, the first ultimate move is yours. Be ready to use 'Interrupting Shout.' Everyone else, watch your output; slow down your rhythm. If anyone messes up, we all wipe. Begin."

Monk Dingyuan and the others knew this was a matter of life and death, involving the massive amount of experience they had wagered on the Demon's Heart. They were on high alert, beginning their attacks with grave caution.

10,500, 9,800, 9,630—seeing these health points, the entire team tensed up. The four players automatically ceased their attacks and turned to Ye Chen. Ye Chen gently rubbed the ring on his right index finger and said, "Huzi will handle the next strike. His damage is the most stable, consistently between 150 and 180. Monk, prepare your Interrupting Shout. You two, don't worry about anything else; just attack when I give the command."

Monk Dingyuan and Huzi, both seasoned in battle, took a steadying breath, composed themselves, and assumed their stances, signaling to Ye Chen that they were ready.

"Huzi, thrust!"

As the word left Ye Chen's lips, under everyone's watchful eyes, the Lord's Cavalry Lance in Huzi's hand struck toward the Mountain-Shaking Lord like a bolt of lightning.

"Monk, Interrupting Shout!"

Before Huzi's lance could even land, Ye Chen barked another urgent command to Monk Dingyuan.

Without a moment's hesitation, the monk activated his Interrupting Shout skill. His Dragon-Coil Staff rose vertically into the air; once it descended back to the ground, the interruption would be complete.

-155. The Mountain-Shaking Lord's health bar dipped imperceptibly, falling below 9,500.

In that instant, the Lord's right foot suddenly glowed with an earthy yellow light—the prelude to its "Earth-Shaking Stomp." Then, under the horrified, anxious gazes of the team, that giant foot lifted high. Everyone knew that in just a moment, when that massive limb came crashing down, the Mountain-Shaking Lord would complete an ultimate move capable of obliterating countless players.

"ROAR!"

At that exact moment, a wild, ferocious howl echoed across the field. It came from Monk Dingyuan—the Interrupting Shout!

With a soft hum, the effect took hold, and the magical light on the Lord's foot instantly dissipated.

Thud. The Mountain-Shaking Lord’s right foot returned to the ground, causing only a violent tremor, dealing no damage to any team member.

"We did it! We actually did it!" "Brother Monk, you're a beast!" "Brother Huzi, you're a legend!" "Team Leader Ye is the best!"...

The team channel erupted in cheers. Monk Dingyuan and Huzi wore expressions of immense relief; wielding the lives of others was, at times, a crushing burden.

"Don't celebrate yet. There are two more to go. Only after we resolve the next two ultimate moves can we say we've truly survived this crisis." Although Ye Chen was pleased, as the leader, it was his duty to keep the team focused. He didn't hesitate to pour cold water on their excitement.

The group immediately calmed down. The remaining melee fighters looked particularly grim; the cooldown for interrupt skills was long, and it was clear they would be responsible for the next two interruptions. After the second class advancement, all heavy armor classes possessed interrupt skills—though named differently (the Berserker's "Lion's Roar," the Swordsman's "Sword Wail," and the Knight's "Soul Shout"), they functioned the same way.

"Huzi, you're responsible for the second interrupt. Monk Dingyuan, you take over the damage dealing. Swap roles; your coordination should be fine." Ye Chen designated the roles for the second ultimate. Neither Huzi nor the monk seemed surprised, while the other two heavy armor users let out sighs of relief; they had been incredibly nervous.

Although the monk’s damage output was low, he was the most stable—more so than Huzi. He hit for 100 points every time with a variance of no more than 10, and he never landed a critical hit...

After a few strikes brought the Mountain-Shaking Lord down to 9,060 health, the two successfully interrupted the second ultimate under Ye Chen's guidance. Only one more to go!

"Alright, who wants the final one? I don't want to pressure you, but this concerns everyone's survival. One slip and we wipe. Whoever is confident, step forward." Ye Chen wasn't sure about the remaining two, so he left it to them.

The two heavy armor users looked at each other. The Swordsman shook his head, and finally, the bearded Berserker stepped up: "I'll do it!"

Ye Chen nodded in approval. Among this team, aside from the monk and his two companions, this guy was decent. He might consider recruiting him later.

With the monk handling the damage and the bearded Berserker on the interrupt, the latter proved his worth. Despite being extremely nervous before activating his skill, he didn't falter at the critical moment, successfully interrupting the final Earth-Shaking Stomp by a hair's breadth.

"Attack! This guy is no longer a threat. A Dark Gold boss is waiting to be slaughtered." Ye Chen laughed, and his words sparked another round of cheers. The spellcasters and the long-faced archer, who had been holding back, immediately unleashed their strongest skills. A barrage of thunderbolts and ice arrows rained down.

8,000, 6,000, 3,000, 2,000...

As the once-arrogant Dark Gold boss was about to fall, the dozen or so team members stopped their attacks.

Ye Chen paused, about to ask why they stopped, when Monk Dingyuan spoke: "Brother Ye Chen, today, if we managed to clear this Demon's Trial Ground, at least seventy percent of the credit belongs to you. We don't have much to offer, so we want you to have the final blow on this Dark Gold boss. If you respect us as brothers, please accept it."

"Yeah, yeah, Team Leader Ye, please take it." "If you don't take it, you're looking down on us."

Ye Chen was left between laughter and tears. He had originally intended to let them have the experience, having already taken so many high-quality items, but these guys insisted on giving him the final kill experience.

"Haha, then I won't be modest." Ye Chen laughed. Since they insisted, refusing would only make them suspicious.

He waved his Abyss Staff, casting a Chain Fireball. With two loud bangs, before the third fireball could even land, the massive Mountain-Shaking Lord’s health was depleted.

"Damn humans! Damn humans! I curse you—I curse you to never escape this demon realm..."

The Mountain-Shaking Lord roared in despair, its massive body crashing to the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Ding! Congratulations to Player Ye Chen's team for killing the Dark Gold creature, Mountain-Shaking Lord. You have successfully cleared the Demon's Trial Ground."

"Ding! The Demon's Heart has been successfully defended. All player attributes restored to normal. Player experience doubled and returned."

*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...*

After the notifications, pillars of white light descended from the sky onto the team members. Nearly everyone who had wagered on the Demon's Heart leveled up. Monk Dingyuan, Long-Face, and Huzi were bathed in multiple beams of light. Monk Dingyuan jumped from level 36 to 38. Don't underestimate those two levels; after level 35, the experience required is immense. If not for the 3 million experience points saved from previous kills, he wouldn't have reached 38.

Long-Face went from 35 to halfway through 36. Huzi went from 34 to 36.

The team erupted in congratulations. With the clearing of the Demon's Trial, several members of this small team had climbed onto the Lieshan City leaderboard. Monk Dingyuan, in particular, had surged to the top, becoming the highest-level player in the city.

A moment later, the beams of light faded for most, but Ye Chen's pillar continued to descend: 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38!

The 13 million experience reward pushed Ye Chen from level 32 to 38 in one go. The other members stared, dumbfounded. Monk Dingyuan looked pained, recalling his sleepless nights of grinding compared to Ye Chen’s six-level leap in an instant.

The light finally vanished. Ye Chen was ecstatic, but he noticed the team channel was strangely silent. He looked up to find the others staring at him with wide, slack-jawed expressions, looking like idiots.

Realizing they were just stunned, he decided to forgive them. "Stop staring. Look at the Mountain-Shaking Lord instead. This is a Dark Gold boss; don't you want to see what it dropped?"

At his words, the group snapped out of their trance and scrambled toward the boss's remains. Long-Face screamed, "Loot, loot! My loot! Dark Gold boss drops!"

Six pieces of equipment lay quietly between the Lord's feet. The vibrant, multi-colored glow made their hearts race. One orange light, in particular, made their breath hitch—the telltale glow of a Spirit-tier item.