Chapter 85: Clearing the Dungeon, Battle with the Serpent King

Boom!
A thunderous explosion shook the earth, instantly killing the venomous snakes on the Crow Warriors.
Immediately after, more Crow Warriors returned in waves.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
...
The explosions echoed incessantly, and the entire Viper Cave trembled as if it could collapse at any moment.
Yang Feng advanced relentlessly with his Fireball Spell, his experience points soaring like a rocket.
Meanwhile, in the dungeon hall,
A crowd watched as Yang Feng entered the Viper Cave instance.
"Is this guy about to break the clearance record again?"
"Impossible, the Viper Cave is not an easy dungeon!"
"If my level wasn't already so high, I'd want to grind the Viper Cave myself."
"The Viper Cave is a great place for farming experience, and it drops excellent gear!"
"Aside from acquiring all kinds of materials, you get loads of experience!"
"Though each ordinary viper yields little experience, their numbers are staggering!"
"Many level 25 dungeons don't give as much experience as Viper Cave."
"But to gain so much experience, your class matters!"
"If you're not a mage or can't use area-of-effect skills, you can't farm efficiently."
...
The hall buzzed with eager discussion as everyone watched, wondering if Yang Feng would set a new record.
At that moment, Yang Feng was slaughtering his way through the Viper Cave, Fireball Spell clearing a path and gathering experience, materials, and equipment with ease.
He left no cavern unchecked, and the Crow Warriors no longer split up.
All the Crow Warriors were grouped together, forging ahead, with Yang Feng following behind.
Whenever an ordinary viper appeared, Yang Feng dashed forward and unleashed a Fireball Spell.
Yang Feng was unaware that others cleared the Viper Cave by finding the nearest passage and fighting straight to the end.
Yang Feng, however, intended to clear out every single viper in the entire dungeon, not letting a single one escape.

Time slipped by.
Over an hour passed, and Yang Feng had yet to emerge from the Viper Cave.
Those waiting in the dungeon hall grew disappointed, though many thought this was to be expected.
Previously, Yang Feng broke the record in the Dark Marsh by discovering a new method of dungeon grinding.
Now, his performance in the Viper Cave seemed more in line with reality.
"Even if Yang Feng doesn't set a new record, soloing the dungeon on hard mode is impressive enough!"
"You're right, but this Viper Cave dungeon is peculiar; the difference between normal and hard isn't that great!"
"Exactly. At least the attributes of ordinary vipers are the same. The only difference in hard mode is the greater number!"
"Forget it, let's leave. There's no new record this time!"
...
Zhang Yishu stood at the dungeon entrance, listening to the chatter.
Her thoughts differed from the rest.
She felt that Yang Feng was not as ordinary as everyone claimed.
Though even Zhang Yishu couldn't explain why, her intuition told her so.
Meanwhile, inside the Viper Cave, Yang Feng had cleared every corner of the dungeon.
"There are nearly two hundred caverns, with over a hundred containing ordinary vipers!"
"But the number of vipers in each is not fixed; they seem to spawn randomly!"
"I’ll know for sure next time I enter."
Yang Feng checked his experience points—he had reached eighty percent.
Just one run through the Viper Cave had increased his experience by eighty percent.
And this was his first attempt, still unfamiliar with the dungeon layout; his efficiency in slaying monsters was remarkable.
Yang Feng believed his next run would be faster, even if the experience gained was the same.
"Now, it’s time to face the Viper Cave’s final boss."
He traversed cavern after cavern, heading for the dungeon’s end.
The Viper Cave was vast, a labyrinth formed by over two hundred interconnected caverns.
If Yang Feng’s mind hadn’t mapped the entire maze, he would surely have gotten lost.
Even so, it took him twenty minutes to reach the dungeon’s terminus.
There, a massive cavern waited, its entrance blocked by a horde of ordinary vipers.
The Crow Warriors rushed forward, launching an attack against the swarm.
Yet the number of vipers was overwhelming; even the Crow Warriors couldn’t eliminate them all at once.
It wasn’t that the Crow Warriors lacked power, but they weren’t suited for fighting such large crowds of ordinary vipers.
If he were a mage, he could use area-of-effect spells to quickly wipe them out.

After ten minutes of fierce combat, the Crow Warriors finally slew every last viper.
They flew ahead, with Yang Feng following closely.
Passing through a tunnel, Yang Feng finally arrived at the dungeon’s end.
A colossal cavern awaited him, housing the Viper Cave’s greatest boss.
It was a giant viper, over a dozen meters long.
The monstrous snake loomed like a pillar reaching to the heavens.
Its mouth was lined with razor-sharp venomous fangs, glinting with a cold, lethal light.
A single bite from those fangs could cripple, if not kill outright.
As Yang Feng entered, the boss had already noticed him.
Yang Feng waved his hand, summoning all his Crow Warriors.
A total of one hundred twenty Crow Warriors charged at the boss.
Meanwhile, Yang Feng tossed a probing water sphere at the boss.

[Viper King (Boss-level monster)]
[Level: 24]
[Combat Power: 6000]
[Speed: 4000]
[Mental Power: 1000]
[Defense: 5000]
[Health: 4000]
[Skills: Venom Spray, Venomous Fangs, Tail Whip, Poison Gas]

This was the Viper King’s combat power—far mightier than the Dark Python.
Its speed was also greater, though its health was slightly lower.
The Viper King possessed four skills; Yang Feng understood the first three, but wondered about the final one, Poison Gas.
The Viper King reacted immediately, opening its jaws and spewing a torrent of venom.
Skill: Venom Spray!
The Crow Warriors dodged swiftly, but a few failed to evade and were struck by the venom.
The intense poison rapidly corroded the Crow Warriors.
The Viper King unleashed Venom Spray several more times, incapacitating over a dozen Crow Warriors in moments.