Chapter 445: A Chinese Ghost Story

The torch gradually extinguished.

The Ghost Tree Demon also stopped moving; its trunk, riddled with holes, no longer emitted any signs of life.

"The Ghost Tree Demon has high energy Resistance. The scorching damage caused by my Flame Spear is pitifully low; most of the damage comes from piercing."

Sensing the information transmitted back from the thrown Flame Spear, Borsalino explained.

Even the strongest Hellfire is an energy-based skill, which makes it impossible to kill the Ghost Tree Demon.

Akainu's lips moved, but he said nothing; his complexion visibly darkened.

If even the Ghost Tree Demon, which serves as a boss territory guard, can resist his Hellfire,

then the energy Resistance of the Dark Gold-level boss 【Shuyao Laomu】 will only be stronger, and his strongest Hellfire Demon killing move will likely be like tickling it.

Smoker grasped the key point and frowned, saying, "Something is wrong. The intelligence previously sent back by the Navy scouts did not mention that the Ghost Tree Demon had extremely strong energy Resistance."

That means some special reason has caused the Ghost Tree Demon to develop energy Resistance.

"Found it!"

Orochimaru suddenly raised his head, a flash of surprise appearing in his golden snake-like pupils.

The remaining Necrotic Curse Snake sent back a message: it had found a special structure related to the Tree Demon's territory.

The Navy Alliance squad moved quickly, following closely behind the Giant Pioneer to move forward, so as not to lose their sense of direction and get lost in the black fog.

Soon,

a lush forest appeared before everyone's eyes.

An abandoned county town was covered... or more accurately, swallowed by the forest.

Dense tree branches smashed through the spines of houses, and tree roots heaved up the earth, like giant, branch-like hands, tightly gripping the entire county town.

【Guobei County (Abandoned)】: A boss territory occupied by Shuyao Laomu; a battle will occur upon entry.

"We haven't even approached yet, and I can already sense a thick demonic aura. The Navy scouts' intelligence is correct; Shuyao Laomu is definitely a Dark Gold-level boss."

Tiequan Kapu frowned deeply.

His perception had already been blocked by the black fog; logically, it should be impossible for him to sense demonic aura from hundreds of meters away.

But as it happened, this demonic aura was so powerful that it penetrated the black fog and was captured by his Martial Dao Heart. The extremely dense demonic aura made him unable to stop a trace of cold sweat from seeping out on his back.

"Look, everyone, there are actually living people in Guobei County..."

This Tree Demon forest actually caused even the nearby black fog to gradually thin, allowing the Navy Alliance squad to see the situation inside Guobei County clearly.

Everyone looked over at the sound, and their gazes immediately froze.

In the center of countless wandering Ghost Tree Demons stood a thin, gaunt youth.

The youth was draped in an old, faded cloth robe and carried a bamboo book box on his back, filled to the brim with curled-edged account books.

A white mask covered his face, making it impossible to see clearly; his overall appearance was that of a scholar.

【Ning Cai Chen (Fallen)】: One of the fated endings of the "A Chinese Ghost Story" world; a scholar originally favored by fate, fallen into a 【Scholar of the Demonic Robe】.

Special Attribute: The Scholar of the Demonic Robe can greatly enhance the energy Resistance of dark monsters within the boss territory.

Hint: Killing this monster in the black fog world can prevent it from awakening in the "A Chinese Ghost Story" world, lowering the difficulty of the Main Quest.

"So that's how it is!"

Orochimaru's eyes flickered, and he quickly figured out the reason why the Ghost Tree Demon's energy Resistance had become stronger.

Without hesitation, everyone began to prepare to hunt this 【Scholar of the Demonic Robe】 that had mutated out of Guobei County.

"For a world as thoroughly polluted as 'A Chinese Ghost Story', even the River of Fate cannot be spared..."

Fang Yi shook his head helplessly.

In a world not completely polluted, at most a Shuyao Laomu would appear; she is a villain by nature and falls very quickly after being tempted by the polluted world.

But that would be the extent of it.

However, if even the River of Fate is polluted, not only will Shuyao Laomu appear, but it will also trigger different fate lines.

Just like the scholar Ning Cai Chen who escaped in the original work, because the pollution caused the plot of the River of Fate to collapse,

he did not wait for Yan Chixia to arrive to eliminate demons and defend the Dao. Timid, he fled alone and eventually placed high in the imperial examinations, but the memories of Lan Ruo Si and the female ghost Xiao Qian lingered in his mind like a nightmare. Finally, unable to bear the torture, he entered the demonic path and fell into a 【Scholar of the Demonic Robe】.

"If the Navy Alliance squad recklessly charges into the 'A Chinese Ghost Story' world, the Dark Gold-level bosses won't just be Shuyao Laomu..."

"The Scholar of the Demonic Robe, the Ghost-Faced Warrior, Yao Xin Dao Ren, and the Wedding-Gown Vengeful Ghost will all appear."

Fortunately, the task of helping the dead complete their obsessions on Huangquan Lu barely gave players the impression of a plot-based clearance.

Otherwise, if Tiequan Kapu led them to charge in blindly, this group of top-tier players would likely be wiped out directly.

"Earth Dragon Demon-Sealing Kill!"

Borsalino leaped high, his hands clasped together, and a golden radiance condensed—a golden Flame Spear, as thick as a millstone and over ten meters long, blasted out.

The air was torn apart, and the golden stream of light pulled continuously, finally converging into a ferocious golden dragon head.

Boom.

A large number of Ghost Tree Demons were smashed into the earth by the flaming dragon spear. The golden radiance rippled and scattered like water waves; the Ghost Tree Demons touched by the golden light had their trunks shattered as if pierced by countless sharp blades.

The obstacles were cleared.

The others moved quickly, closing in on the scholar wearing the white mask.

Just as they reached a hundred meters in front of the 【Scholar of the Demonic Robe】, a space-time ripple expanded, and the Navy Alliance squad seemed to crash into a lake, disappearing from sight.

When everyone regained their senses, they had already appeared outside a magnificent mansion—high gates and courtyards, cyan courtyard walls, and vermilion gates inlaid with golden door nails; it was opulent and imposing.

Night was about to fall.

Bean-sized raindrops pelted down, dark clouds pressed overhead, and the sound of thunder rang out continuously.

"Perception ability restored?"

Tiequan Kapu, who possessed the 【Martial Dao Heart】, was the first to notice something wrong; his sealed perception ability had been completely restored in this world.

Smoker's expression was grave as he said, "If I'm not mistaken, this special space is the hiding place of the 'Demon-Clad Scholar'."

"Shall we fight?"

Garp suddenly threw an empty punch; the surrounding air froze, and waves of air currents continuously spread outward.

Since the new season, he had been suppressed for too long; suddenly unleashing his martial artist's unique perception, his heart was filled with excitement.

"Don't act rashly yet; let Orochimaru scout the path first."

For once, Borsalino was not acting lackadaisical; this special space gave him a very dangerous feeling.

The Flame Demon summoned by Akainu was too conspicuous and not suitable for scouting.

Neither Smoker nor Garp had the means to scout, so now only Orochimaru's Necrotic Curse Snake remained.

"Of course."

Orochimaru did not refuse, nor did he set conditions; after all, they were now temporary teammates who had signed a Team Contract.

Two black snakes twisted their bodies and burrowed into the gaps of the Ning Fu gates.

Click.

Before they could even see the scene inside the mansion clearly, the Necrotic Curse Snake had already lost all response.

Creak...

The Ning Fu gates slowly opened.

A black Shadow lifted its leg, stepped over the threshold, and stood at the entrance as if welcoming everyone, making a gesture to invite them in.

It was an old woman, her body hunched like a boiled shrimp, wearing a silk brocade robe that clearly did not fit, covering her hands and dragging on the ground.

Everyone's expression was guarded, staring intently at the figure that had opened the gate, ready to strike at any moment.

"Welcome, my master Ning Cai Chen has been waiting for you all for a long time..."

(End of this chapter)