There's a skull dungeon attached to my basement

Physical methods and magical means were ineffective. It seemed蕭that there was no normal way for Xiao Yang to retrieve the Elemental Heart sealed within the red crystal pillar.

In that case, he could only resort to some unconventional methods.

Suddenly, Xiao Yang produced an unremarkable shovel.

Before acting, Xiao Yang hesitated. After all, he was currently in a very deep underground location. A slight mistake could lead to him being buried alive.

But then he thought, he probably didn't need to worry about that. Clearing the hidden dungeon had given him a new Multi-Armed Statue Fragment. The fragment's purpose was to bring Xiao Yang into the hidden map of the second level of the Skeleton Dungeon, with the effect applying to the entire second level.

He took out the Multi-Armed Statue Fragment corresponding to the hidden area of the second level of the Skeleton Dungeon from his personal backpack and tried to activate it. Instantly, a feeling of being about to leave the world appeared.

Deep within this mine, the Multi-Armed Statue Fragment could still be used normally.

"Then what's there to be afraid of!"

At this point, everything suddenly became clear. Indeed, with a way out, there was no need to worry about these things.

There was nothing to hesitate about. This Elemental Heart was too tempting, and Xiao Yang really coveted it.

He raised the Shovel of Freedom high in his hand. Of course, whether the Shovel of Freedom could break open this extremely hard red crystal pillar was not certain.

"But it doesn't matter. If this damned shovel doesn't work, then I'll just accept it!"

After making his final declaration, Xiao Yang fiercely plunged the shovel in his hand into the crack of the red crystal pillar in front of him.

In an instant, there was a brief silence.

As Xiao Yang watched, it seemed that no change had occurred to the thick crystal pillar. In this situation, Xiao Yang's expression twisted, then turned into helpless relief, until the God's Game prompt suddenly popped up.

[Excavation task has made progress, current count (3/30)]

The Shovel of Freedom's advancement task was not as strict as imagined. Digging in new dungeon levels could also be counted towards the task. This was a good thing, meaning that Xiao Yang would probably be able to see the Shovel of Freedom's transformation in his lifetime. But all of this could be postponed for now.

An even bigger commotion was about to occur.

The cracks on the huge crystal pillar began to spread rapidly. Accompanied by the constant crackling sounds, the cracks quickly climbed across the crystal pillar. The red crystal pillar was shattering, breaking apart into huge chunks of red crystal.

An even louder sound appeared. This crystal pillar had a supporting effect on this underground space. With its disintegration,

"This mine is going to collapse!"

If he were to be firmly crushed by the collapsing rocks, Xiao Yang would probably be flattened on the spot.

Fortunately, the collapse did not happen suddenly in an unstoppable manner. The clay golems' reinforcement of the mine, and the Mud-to-Stone spells cast by each of them, provided a buffer for this dangerous situation.

Xiao Yang did not directly use the Multi-Armed Statue Fragment to escape. His gaze was fixed on the Elemental Heart that was being gradually released from the disintegration of the crystal pillar.

"Just a little bit more! Just a little bit more!"

The integrated dome formed by Mud-to-Stone could no longer withstand the sudden increase in pressure. A huge rock fell beside Xiao Yang, and a full-scale collapse was about to begin.

It was at this moment that Xiao Yang waited for his chance. The Elemental Heart was finally mostly released. Xiao Yang activated the teleportation ability of the Multi-Armed Statue Fragment. Amidst the confusion of everything in front of him, he lunged towards the crumbling crystal wall and grabbed the Elemental Heart with both hands.

The entire second level of the Skeleton Dungeon trembled for a moment. Its terrain was completely changed. The Skeleton Plaza directly collapsed violently in this earthquake, with bricks, soil, and rocks rolling into the deep fissure.

This underground fissure was mostly filled in, and the entire second level of the Skeleton Dungeon underwent irreversible changes.

The first thing to be affected was the disappearance of the monster spawn points. The Skeleton Plaza and the pool at the bottom of the underground fissure both disappeared in this earthquake. The Skeleton Warriors, Skeleton Knights, and Cave Fishmen would naturally no longer respawn.

Xiao Yang had almost emptied the entire second level of the Skeleton Dungeon. Only the Bloodthirsty Bats, which flapped their wings in panic and escaped the disaster, remained.

These large bats hovered in the sky in fear at this moment.

However, even at this point, it was not over. Xiao Yang's assessment of the Shovel of Freedom was correct. This shovel did have some indescribable strangeness and bizarreness in its effects.

A loud, unmistakable cry came from the chaotic ruins, from the depths of the mostly filled underground fissure.

It was a pity that the current second level of the Skeleton Dungeon did not have any proper creatures to hear such a cry. Everything here had been destroyed by Xiao Yang's continuous swings of the Shovel of Freedom.

Only the panicked and randomly flying Bloodthirsty Bats remained.

… … … … .

In the damp and smelly sewer, a shallow and direct joy appeared on Xiao Yang's face. The source of this joy was the dazzling heart that he was holding in his hands.

As a legendary-quality treasure, the Elemental Heart's effects did not seem to match its overly beautiful appearance.

But in reality, its buffs were exceptionally powerful.

Xiao Yang currently possessed Weak All-Element Resistance. Even at this level of resistance, it already allowed Xiao Yang to fight while enduring the scorching of Lesser Dragon Flames.

And the resistance brought by this Elemental Heart was Strong All-Element Resistance. Simply holding this dazzling heart was enough to turn Xiao Yang into a nightmare for magic-based players.

Most magical attacks would probably not be more intense than hot bathwater for Xiao Yang.

Xiao Yang currently needed such a treasure. Without hesitation, he put it into his personal backpack. With the activation of the buff effects, Xiao Yang's special panel was now at this level:

[Elemental Resistance (Strong)

Damage Immunity (6)

Health Regeneration (10)

Undead Slayer (Skeletons): Increases special attack against skeleton-type enemies by two points

Insect Slayer: Increases special attack against insect-type enemies by ten points]

Happy Little New Year, friends!