Basically, Hu Tao had already dealt with all the monsters in this world.
Or, to use Hu Tao's professional terminology.
Hu Tao had already given all the monsters in this world a funeral, forcibly pushing coffins on them.
Although those monsters lacked intelligence, Hu Tao had an entire, well-developed coffin sales chain.
And the crucial central hub of this chain was Jiang Xuan.
Hu Tao dealt with monsters, forcibly selling them coffins.
Then, she would receive monetary compensation from Jiang Xuan.
Basically, one gold nugget per coffin.
Hu Tao didn't care about Mora earnings, but it was the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's rule.
Jiang Xuan also didn't care about gold or anything like that; those things were useless to him.
Now, it seemed to be a tacit understanding and a shared amusement between him and Hu Tao.
That wasn't the main point.
The main point was that Hu Tao had already given funerals to most of the monsters in the Minecraft World.
The only one left was the Wither Storm.
To Hu Tao, it was known as the Disruptor of Yin and Yang Order.
This was a big one, and Hu Tao strongly demanded that for each Wither Storm she resolved, she would earn one gold block.
Although she wouldn't spend the gold blocks, and the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor wasn't short on Mora now.
But Hu Tao really enjoyed this rule.
Jiang Xuan was also willing to indulge her.
"Jiang Xuan, what are the specific details about the Wither Storm?"
Ningguang did not underestimate the Wither Storm.
After all, Jiang Xuan had repeatedly mentioned that it was an almost invincible ultimate enemy in the Minecraft World.
It was one of the ultimate BOSSes.
Regardless, they had to be careful.
Jiang Xuan liked Ningguang's steady and cautious attitude, just like his own.
The Wither Storm, in a way, was easy to deal with, but to say it was difficult…
It was truly difficult.
If they weren't careful and the Wither Storm was not contained, allowing it to develop wildly, Jiang Xuan would be in trouble if it reached the seventh stage.
Thinking this, Jiang Xuan also became serious.
Seeing his solemn expression, everyone quieted down, waiting for Jiang Xuan's introduction.
"The Wither Storm is an ultimate monster that needs to be summoned."
"The Wither Storm has seven evolution stages. The first stage of the Wither Storm is its weakest stage, but it's still very difficult to kill it immediately in this stage."
"Because when the Wither Storm's health drops below fifty percent, it becomes immune to ranged damage…"
Hearing about immunity to ranged damage, everyone felt a headache.
The last one immune to ranged damage was the Enderman…
That had troubled Ningguang and the others for a long time when they first entered Minecraft.
If it hadn't been for the boats…
Boats?!
Keqing's eyes lit up, and she eagerly asked:
"Jiang Xuan, can boats trap the Wither Storm?"
Jiang Xuan greatly appreciated Keqing's idea of skillfully using world features, but unfortunately…
"The Wither Storm cannot be killed by exploiting any world features. To kill the Wither, you can only do it head-on…"
Hearing this, everyone fell silent.
Somehow, they all felt a chill in their hearts.
Actually, if one were to be precise, the Wither could be suffocated, which might be a way to exploit a bug to kill it.
However…
It explodes when it spawns, and it still explodes when it attacks.
How could one suffocate it then?
Even Obsidian would be absorbed. Were they supposed to block it with Bedrock?
Jiang Xuan didn't even have Bedrock right now, and even if he did, he wouldn't waste it on the Wither.
"When the Wither Storm spawns, it causes a huge explosion. If you don't dodge in time, you can easily be blown to death instantly."
"After that, the first stage of the Wither can absorb surrounding blocks to form black armor."
"That layer of armor is as hard as Obsidian…"
"Another unfortunate piece of news is that, besides Bedrock, the Wither Storm can absorb all blocks around it to form armor, including Obsidian…"
He paused, seeing the conflicted expressions on everyone's faces, and couldn't help but say:
"Relax, don't be so nervous."
Hearing this, Ganyu had new hope and looked at Jiang Xuan with anticipation:
"Could it be that there's really a way to quickly kill the Wither Storm?"
Jiang Xuan shook his head, smiling wryly:
"My point is… this isn't even the full power of the Wither Storm. If you're already scared now, don't even mention its other features later."
"…"
Everyone grew even more silent.
"When the Wither Storm first spawns, its health quickly rises to full. In this stage, the Wither glows with blue light; it's invincible and ignores all attacks."
"What's more, once the Wither spawns, it will wantonly destroy everything and hunt down all life."
"If you are attacked by it, you will be afflicted with the Wither effect, continuously losing health."
"And the health you lose will be restored to the Wither… So, to kill the Wither, the most important thing is not to be hit."
"Otherwise, it's enough to instantly severely injure you, and it will continuously absorb your life force."
"You must prevent any creature from being killed by the Wither near it, as it will absorb their life force."
"Therefore, our best method is to kill the Wither Storm in its first stage, seizing every moment and opportunity to attack."
"After that, the danger level increases significantly."
"And once the Wither Storm develops to its seventh stage, the entire world will be devoured and destroyed by it."
Hearing these words, Zhongli and Venti both felt their scalps tingle.
Suddenly, they no longer wanted Jiang Xuan to summon the Wither Storm.
"The seventh stage… and its previous stages are…"
Ningguang pursed her lips, looking at Jiang Xuan with some concern.
"In the first stage, the Wither is born holding a Command Block. This is its most vulnerable period. It will only throw Wither Skeleton Skulls to cause explosive attacks and absorb blocks."
"This stage is also the most crucial time for us to kill the Wither."
"In the second stage, the Wither grows eyes and a mouth, and can fire extremely damaging Aurora Beams, and its block absorption speed will be faster."
"In the third stage, the Wither grows tentacles; in the fourth stage, the Wither grows three heads and five tentacles…"
"In the fifth stage, the Wither becomes incredibly massive. By this stage, all we can do is gamble with our lives."
"In the sixth stage… the Wither will summon two smaller main bodies and begin team combat."
"And in the final, seventh stage… all three of the Wither's main bodies will have three heads, and be extremely massive. Every so often, it will also summon new Withers."
"Once the opponent reaches the seventh stage…"
Jiang Xuan took a deep breath and sighed:
"We can only flee back to Teyvat. As for this world… in the best-case scenario, more than half of it will be destroyed."
Hearing this, Paimon, who was nearby, fearfully burrowed into Jiang Xuan's arms.
At this moment, everyone truly realized what a terrifying monster the Wither was.
Perhaps it wasn't very strong when it first spawned.
But…
Once it developed into its later stages, it was definitely a world-destroying level monster.
Even in Teyvat, if Zhongli and the other Archons hadn't had their divine powers sealed, they probably wouldn't have been able to contend with the Wither.
"Something so terrifying… Jiang Xuan, are you sure you want to summon it?"
Lisa frowned tightly, and Jean and the others nearby also looked worried.
They had just arrived today, and everything was still unclear, yet Jiang Xuan was going straight to fighting the Wither?
This was simply too terrifying.
If something went wrong, the entire world would be destroyed, and everyone would be buried here.
Ningguang and the others also looked at Jiang Xuan.
Now, their enthusiasm for the Wither was gone; Ningguang only wanted to persuade Jiang Xuan not to summon it.
But Jiang Xuan shook his head.
"I have a reason why I must summon it…"
Ningguang's eyes flickered for a moment, and she whispered:
"Mods?"
Jiang Xuan didn't answer, but Ningguang and the others understood.
If it weren't related to mods, Jiang Xuan probably wouldn't be so serious.
"If we don't kill the Wither, we won't be able to summon mods in the future… So, we must kill it."
And, they had to kill ten of them!
But Jiang Xuan didn't mention that number.
The Wither Storm was difficult to kill, but not impossible.
He brought up the dangers of the Wither only to warn them to be fully prepared and to follow his commands diligently.
Otherwise, death could be instantaneous.
Once they killed the Wither under his command, everyone would become accustomed to it.
Then, the remaining nine Withers would be easy.
"Mods are…"
Jean looked at Ningguang with some confusion. The latter was preoccupied and didn't bother to explain, only saying:
"These are the most wondrous and mysterious things in Jiang Xuan's world, and also the most transformative treasures. They are even more important than everything you've seen so far, including Totems of Undying."
As for more details, they could wait until the Wither was dealt with.
"Even without mods, the Wither is something we must resolve. It drops Nether Stars."
Nether Stars?
Another strange term.
Ningguang and the others looked over curiously.
Jiang Xuan gently explained:
"Nether Stars can be crafted into Beacons, and Beacons, when combined with various blocks to build a base, can activate wide-range amplification effects."
"These effects are continuous: increased movement speed, faster mining speed, reduced external damage, enhanced jumping, melee damage buffs…"
"This is practically a central hub. Everything friendly within the Beacon's range will be buffed."
"Imagine, not to mention getting buffs in this world, what if we placed a Beacon in Teyvat…"
Diluc was moved, clenching his fists, and said with a passionate tone:
"This is… building a base that far surpasses the enemy!"
"Our forces will gain comprehensive buffs! This is a strategically impactful treasure!"
"If a Beacon guarded a nation, then… it would be indestructible!"
Clearly, Ningguang and the others also thought of the implications of placing a Beacon in Liyue Harbor.
The entire Millelith force within Liyue Harbor would receive effects comparable to alchemy potions!
"Furthermore, because it's crafted from Obsidian, a Beacon is extremely sturdy and difficult to destroy."
"Although a Beacon cannot be moved, rules are dead, people are alive. What if I placed the Beacon on the Jade Chamber, and the Jade Chamber went to battle?"
Jiang Xuan chuckled, watching Ningguang's and the others' eyes slowly brighten, and said meaningfully:
"If…"
"If during the Archon War, if during the Abyssal Monsters calamity five hundred years ago…"
"The Jade Chamber had gone to the front lines with the wide-range buffs provided by a Beacon…"
"What do you think…"
Before Jiang Xuan could finish, Zhongli let out a long sigh, his voice filled with a hint of melancholy.
"Then… the Adepti, the Millelith…"
"How could so many have died then!"
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