Chapter 526: Chapter 526: Bone Bead

In the deep quiet of night, Song Jian lay sleeping peacefully in his bed, his chest rising and falling slightly, indicating he was fast asleep;

Just then, the bedroom door was slowly opened without making a sound. A figure cloaked in black appeared at the doorway, and behind him were two skeletal warriors, wielding axes and emitting a chilling pale glow.

Tang Ming looked at the sleeping Song Jian, a sinister smile playing on his lips. He had sprinkled some sleep-inducing powder in the room earlier on. It was faintly scented, just enough to escape the notice of most people.

Such a drug had no harmful effects on the human body, it simply made those who were asleep to fall into an even deeper slumber, making it impossible for even the most alert person to detect its existence.

“Shadow Binding!”

With a wave of Tang Ming’s right hand, a grey mist burst from his Bone Wand, stealthily flying towards the bed’s occupant. The instant it reached Song Jian, it transformed into black chains, binding him tightly.

Looking at Song Jian securely tied up, a smirk of satisfaction appeared on Tang Ming’s face. “Hahaha, Success! Song Jian, let me give you a lesson today. This game is extremely dangerous! Never let down your guard against strangers!”

Gazing at the immobile Song Jian, Tang Ming’s joy was palpable. “Come now, the moment I laid eyes on you, I knew you were strong, which is why you’ll become my most powerful skeletal warrior!”

At that moment, Song Jian on the bed suddenly opened his eyes and looked at Tang Ming. A strange smile appeared on his face. Tang Ming was taken aback for a moment, as if he was thinking of something. His face turned pale, and he quickly retreated.

“Earth Teeth Assault!”

A fang-shaped mass of energy shot up from under the bed towards Tang Ming, its sharp whistling sound piercing the air.

“Block it!” Tang Ming shouted, and a skeletal warrior behind him advanced a step forward, shielding him with its body.

Bang!

This Earth Teeth Assault triggered a critical strike. The skeletal warrior’s body jolted violently, and with a crack, one of its femurs shattered, causing a number depicting over two hundred damage points to float above its head.

“Damn it, you’ve shattered the leg of my painstakingly created skeletal warrior…” Annoyed, Tang Ming directed another skeletal warrior to attack Song Jian.

Observing Song Jian, bound by black chains and immobile on the bed, Tang Ming finally realized – the one trapped was merely Song Jian’s clone. The real Song Jian was likely hiding under the bed.

Sword Shadow Step, Broken Wing Dance!

A shadowy figure suddenly dashed from under the bed, sword swinging at the two skeletal warriors.

Upon entering the bedroom, Song Jian immediately sensed something was amiss. However, he didn’t suspect Tang Ming. He just felt an intangible unease which wouldn’t let him sleep, and so he never truly went to sleep.

Only when he heard deliberately muffled footsteps outside his door at night, did Song Jian realize something was wrong. It seemed like Tang Ming harbored ill-intentions towards him. He quickly activated Phantom Clone, letting his clone lie on the bed while he hid underneath.

Unexpectedly, Tang Ming truly had malicious intentions. Glancing at the black chains on his clone, Song Jian realized he couldn’t even cancel the clone as it seemed to be completely bound.

Hearing Tang Ming’s words, Song Jian’s anger surged inside him: “You actually use players’ bodies to create skeletal warriors!”

Tang Ming waved his Magic Staff, launching a Shadow Arrow at Song Jian and directing his skeletal warriors to attack.

“Hehehe, their bodies have been transformed into undying skeletal warriors; they should feel honored!” Tang Ming’s face twisted into a sinister smile. He fished out a Bone Bead from his pocket and tossed it at Song Jian.

Song Jian and the two skeletal warriors were locked in combat, their level of strength equivalent to that of ordinary Level 20 monsters, they couldn’t stop Song Jian.

Each of Song Jian’s sword swings left deep marks on the skeletal warriors. In just a little while, the skeletal warriors’ bodies were left in a terrible state, their Vitality Points reducing to less than a third.

When he saw Tang Ming throw a Bone Bead at him, Song Jian felt a chilling sense of impending danger and swiftly activated his Frost Shield!

Boom!

The Bone Bead exploded in mid-air. Song Jian felt an intense surge of energy. The Frost Shield shattered instantly, and his body felt as if it had been hit by hundreds of bone shards, causing waves of piercing pain.

Song Jian was thrown back by the force of the explosion, crashing into the bedroom wall. His chest felt tight and nauseous, and he couldn’t help but vomit blood, which made him feel a bit better.

He checked his damage, the explosion had reduced his Vitality Points by over six hundred. The power was even more significant than an improved Self-Destructing Robot or a powerful hand-grenade.

However, numerous damage immunity notifications appeared in his combat information dashboard, which gave Song Jian pause.

System: You received splash damage from the “Bone Bead” explosion. After reductions due to your personal and equipment defenses, this effect was less than 15 points, talent “Thick-skinned” takes effect, this damage is immune.

System: You received splash damage from the “Bone Bead” explosion. After reductions due to your personal and equipment defenses, this effect was less than 15 points. The Ghostly Leather Armor’s “Void” effect is triggered, this damage is immune, and the next damage received will be reduced by 50%.

System: You received splash damage from the “Bone Bead” explosion. After reductions due to your personal and equipment defenses, this effect was less than 15 points. Your talent “Thick-skinned” takes effect, this damage is immune.

…

A series of immune damage notifications left Song Jian startled. Looking at dozens of bone shards in his body, Song Jian estimated that had he not been immune to the harm, these shards would have caused more harm than the previous explosion.

“If it weren’t for the damage reduction, a single Bone Bead could cause thousands of damage points? This could instantly kill a player with a weaker Vitality level.” Song Jian couldn’t help but gasp in surprise, silently cursing in his heart.

However, objects causing splash damage are more potent in confined spaces. If used in an open area, the splash damage would drastically decrease.

Seeing that Song Jian was still standing even after facing a Bone Bead, Tang Ming wore a shocked expression. “Truly, you’re worthy of being the powerful skeletal warrior I’ve chosen, possessing such an excellent physique. Hahaha, the better the body’s quality, the higher the chance of success in creating a skeletal warrior. Today is indeed my lucky day!”

With that, Tang Ming took out three Bone Beads from his pocket, hesitating a little. There was a hint of reluctance in his eyes, but he soon steeled his resolve, gritted his teeth, and threw the three Bone Beads at Song Jian.