In the split second before the Rock Armored Bear’s paw could strike Mo Chuan’s head, Mo Chuan yanked the iron chain with both hands, tightening the锁链 (suǒliàn - chain) wrapped around the Rock Armored Bear’s neck. The sudden immense force, amplified by the passive effect of 〔厄运钟摆〕 (Èyùn Zhōngbǎi - Misfortune Pendulum), unleashed terrifying power.
Crack!
The Rock Armored Bear’s head snapped to the side, its neck broken by Mo Chuan’s chokehold.
It wasn't until the massive body crashed to the ground that the onlookers finally reacted.
"Damn it!" Xu Ziru was about to command her vines to shield Mo Fei in front of her when the sound of clashing chains echoed. The eerie green hook slowly enlarged in Xu Ziru’s vision.
Thwack!
"Ah!!" Xu Ziru’s chest was instantly pierced by the hook blade. The hook snagged on her ribs, the intense pain almost making her lose consciousness.
"So, even vengeful spirits feel pain."
Xu Ziru heard the voice and forced her eyes open. She saw the light above her dim, and as she looked up, her entire body trembled.
Mo Chuan, his face covered in blood, held the iron chain with both hands, wrapped around the corpse of the Rock Armored Bear, and hoisted it above his head. He leaped into the air, smashing it down towards her.
"No—" Before Xu Ziru could scream, she was struck by the Rock Armored Bear’s corpse.
The rock spikes on the Rock Armored Bear’s back pierced Xu Ziru’s body with a chilling sound. Blood soon soaked the entire ground.
With her head exposed, Xu Ziru coughed up mouthfuls of blood, her eyes gradually losing their light.
"On your way, then. The path to hell."
Through blurred vision and a flickering montage in her mind, Xu Ziru gradually saw the eerie green lantern before her.
This was the last thing she saw.
In fact, she never understood what happened until the moment of her death.
From Gao Zhu’s perspective, after killing Xu Ziru, Mo Chuan used the soul-guiding lantern to absorb her soul. The green light cluster, bearing Xu Ziru’s face, was even struggling and wailing.
"A gh-ghost!" Gao Zhu shrieked. He didn’t even bother with Ye Shaolong, who had fainted on the shore, and simply abandoned him to flee.
Mo Chuan, his face bloody, looked at Zhang Hanshan, who was sweating profusely. "Brother Chuan..."
Mo Chuan didn't speak. He unhooked the chain from the Rock Armored Bear’s corpse and walked to Ye Shaolong. With a swift flick of his hook and blade, he cleanly killed Ye Shaolong and absorbed his soul.
A system voice sounded in his mind:
“Ding! Detected host has completed the temporary mission 〔Slay Rock Armored Bear〕, reward received: 200 experience points, Skill Enhancement Points +1.
Ding! Host has leveled up to Level Four, acquired skill 〔幽冥地狱〕 (Yōumíng Dìyù - Underworld Hell).
Ding! Congratulations to host for completing achievement: First Blood, reward received: Skill Enhancement Points +1.
Ding! Congratulations to host for completing achievement: Perfect Fusion I, reward received: Random Hero Skill *1.
Ding! Detected host has completed the first phase, system functions unlocked: Equipment Slots and Shop.”
Hearing the continuous rewards, Mo Chuan couldn't help but be stunned. He quickly said, "Open the shop."
Mo Chuan looked at the interface, which was no different from his memory. He immediately found the item he wanted:
"Reusable Potion: Restores 8% of your maximum health over 15 seconds. Has 2 charges. Each use reduces a charge. Refreshes daily at 24:00. Price: 150 Gold Coins."
Although the effect had slightly changed, it was what Mo Chuan wanted.
Mo Chuan glanced at his 500 gold coins and bought it without hesitation. Then, he put away 〔地狱诅咒〕 (Dìyù Zǔzhòu - Hellish Curse) and rushed to Mo Fei with the potion.
Zhang Hanshan saw the green potion in Mo Chuan's hand and stopped bandaging. "Brother Chuan, where did you get this potion?"
"Brought it myself." Mo Chuan didn't explain further. He directly poured the potion into Mo Fei's small mouth. As the potion’s charge count decreased by one, its effects began to manifest: faint glowing green dots floated around Mo Fei; her weak breathing grew steady; her pale complexion gradually regained color.
"Alright..." Mo Chuan put away the potion, stood up, and wiped off the blood and sweat. "Old Zhang, you watch Fei’er. When Sister He and Jingjing arrive, I'll go chase the remaining three."
With that, Mo Chuan turned, reactivated 〔地狱诅咒〕, and headed in the direction Gao Zhu had fled.
...
After walking for a few minutes, Mo Chuan found that Gao Zhu's footprints had disappeared. It was clear that he had covered his tracks.
"Let's see my luck... Claiming reward."
“Ding! Host has obtained skill 〔狂食鸦群〕 (Kuáng Shí Yā Qún - Ravenous Crow Swarm).
(Swain can collect soul fragments from fallen enemy targets. Each soul fragment restores 5% of maximum health and permanently grants Swain maximum health.)”
The moment he acquired the skill, Mo Chuan’s shadow began to stir. Crimson eyes opened from within the shadow, followed by the ominous caws of crows. One by one, crows flew out from the shadow and landed on nearby branches.
"Quite lucky... Found them." Mo Chuan transmitted the appearances of Gao Zhu, Xu Zixu, and Han Li to the crow swarm.
"Caw—caw—"
The crow swarm received the information and instantly flew in all directions.
Mo Chuan waited in place for a few minutes. Then, the crow swarm reported Gao Zhu's trace, which was not far ahead.
Mo Chuan smiled slightly and immediately moved in that direction.
...
In the dense forest, at a fork in the road.
Gao Zhu trembled as he put away his dagger. He nodded after looking at his fabricated tracks and then ran in the opposite direction.
"Damn it... What is that guy? More terrifying than the ghosts I've killed..." Gao Zhu muttered to himself and strode towards the mountainous area indicated on the map.
"Caw—caw—"
"What bad luck..." Gao Zhu saw the crows perched on the branches, and a chill ran down his spine. But he quickly dismissed the thought, his eyes scanning the surroundings. "I need to find something to eat... and then figure out how to notify Han Li and Xu Zixu..."
"Caw—caw—" The crows cawed a few times, flapping their wings to follow Gao Zhu's steps.
"Damn crows!" Gao Zhu, afraid the crows would expose his location, used his ability, instantly flashing to the treetops, intending to grab some crow meat to gnaw on.
"Caw!" A crow was suddenly caught. Gao Zhu held it in his hand, preparing to deliver a fatal blow.
"Wait... Wait a moment..." Just as he was about to strike, Gao Zhu stopped, his body trembling slightly. He turned the crow in his hand over.
Wh-why does this crow have four eyes!
Gao Zhu searched his mind for all his knowledge but couldn't recall the species of the crow before him.
Gao Zhu seemed to have thought of something. He shivered and shook his head, "Impossible, absolutely impossible."
But when he prepared to butcher the crow again, the crow began to speak: "Found you."
"Ah!!—" Gao Zhu threw the crow in his hand away. The crow tumbled on the ground a few times before vanishing into a wisp of black shadow.
Gao Zhu ran with all his might, constantly trying to convince himself, "Impossible... that was a hallucination, it was definitely a hallucination..."
"What hallucination?"