Chapter 5: The Corpse Thief

Wang Chong watched the hooded man whose aura grew ever stronger, feeling a chill run down his spine.

"Cold... I'm so cold..."

A chilling voice seemed to rise from the bottom of everyone's heart.

"Crack, crack..."

A layer of frost flowers actually appeared on the ground, spreading rapidly from far to near, then extending even further; in the blink of an eye, it covered an area of several thousand square meters around them.

"It's Bone Prisoner Xi!" The hooded man's voice trembled with terror.

"Kid, you got off easy. Next time we meet, I will definitely kill you!" The hooded man glared fiercely at Wang Chong, but he ultimately dared not act, turning and vanishing swiftly.

He feared his aura would be detected by Bone Prisoner Xi; if that happened, he would truly die without a place to be buried.

Wang Chong secretly breathed a sigh of relief; he had no such concerns, and at least his life was saved for now.

"How are you?" Wang Chong walked over to Xixi and Hawk.

"Uncle Hawk is bleeding so much." Xixi's face was still streaked with tears.

"Young Lady, Bone Prisoner Xi is coming soon. You must leave quickly and forget about me," Hawk urged anxiously.

"Who is Bone Prisoner Xi?" Wang Chong asked, confused.

"Bone Prisoner Xi is the strongest in the entire Gran Forest, but he usually stays deep within the forest. I never expected him to come out today. There's no time to explain; Bone Prisoner Xi's power is too great. Even in my prime, I was no match for him. Don't worry about me, leave quickly!" Hawk kept urging.

His mission was to ensure Xixi's safety; as long as Xixi could leave safely, he could close his eyes even in death.

"It's getting colder and colder."

Wang Chong tightened his collar, showing no sign of panic.

"The fight just now must have attracted Bone Prisoner Xi. It's too late to run now; let's hide first."

Saying this, he hoisted Hawk onto his shoulder with one hand and grabbed Hawk's greatsword with the other.

"So heavy!" The weight of the greatsword still surprised him greatly.

After his left hand was cursed, his strength increased greatly, yet holding that greatsword was still a bit of a struggle.

The icy and powerful aura drew ever closer; Wang Chong gritted his teeth, ignoring the pain in his body, and carried Hawk away quickly.

They had just walked a hundred meters away when Wang Chong was already shivering from the cold, his teeth chattering.

"Alright, this place will do."

They hid behind a rock, surrounded by reeds over a meter high; it was hard for anyone outside to spot people inside, yet he could clearly see the situation outside through the gaps.

Wang Chong guessed correctly; Bone Prisoner Xi had sensed the powerful aura and came looking.

"Crack, crack..."

At the place where they had just fought, the ground was directly frozen over, and an ice-blue skeleton slowly emerged.

"Cold... I'm so cold..."

He seemed to be searching for something.

"Legend has it that Bone Prisoner Xi was once a powerful necromancer, but he was betrayed by a good friend who dug out his heart. To avoid death, he turned himself into an ice corpse, which also condemned him to suffer the agony of eternal cold unless he could find his heart again," Hawk said.

"There's no heart of his here; what is he looking for?" Wang Chong asked, puzzled.

"Bone Prisoner Xi is also called the Corpse Thief because he cannot find his own heart, so he needs the hearts of the strong to extend his life," Hawk explained.

"I see." Wang Chong nodded.

Bone Prisoner Xi had sensed a powerful person fighting here, so he came to search for a heart, to dig out someone else's heart and attach it to himself.

Thinking of this, Wang Chong felt both pity and contempt for this Bone Prisoner Xi.

He pitied such a powerful being being betrayed by a friend, yet he despised him for stealing corpses and harming the innocent just to survive.

"Giggle..." Xixi's teeth chattered from the cold.

Bone Prisoner Xi raised his head, as if listening.

Wang Chong's face tightened; he immediately pulled Xixi into his arms.

Feeling the warmth from Wang Chong's chest, Xixi no longer felt cold at all.

After a while, Bone Prisoner Xi suddenly turned his head, looking in the direction the hooded man had left.

"I'm so cold..."

A fierce wind roared, frost and wind dancing, forming a tornado that blocked Wang Chong's view.

"Woo~"

By the time Wang Chong could see clearly again, Bone Prisoner Xi had vanished, and an ice-blue tornado swept toward the hooded man.

"Finally gone."

Despite the extreme cold, Wang Chong's back was instantly soaked with sweat.

Everything that happened today shocked him greatly, especially the last one; what the hell, a skeleton frame could actually run.

He looked down and saw Xixi licking her rosy little cheeks, staring at him.

His old face turned slightly red, and he let go of Xixi.

"Let's go, we should leave this place first."

One day later, they finally reached the edge of the Gran Forest, and Hawk's injuries had improved significantly.

Wang Chong could not help but sigh again at the power of martial artists; with such severe injuries, he had recovered seven or eight parts in just one day.

Of course, this also relied on the assistance of some medicinal liquid; the miraculous effect of that liquid, healing flesh and mending bones, opened Wang Chong's eyes.

"Brother Wang Chong, great kindness needs no words of thanks; I, Hawk, will remember this in my heart," Hawk said to Wang Chong with deep gratitude.

"You overstate it; it was just a small favor," Wang Chong said lightly.

These matters were simply a matter of being in the right place at the right time; he truly did not take them to heart, and besides, if he had not lent a hand, he would have died himself.

"Haha, good friend, I heard from the Young Lady that you also wish to cultivate. I happen to have a basic sword technique here; I hope you won't dislike it." As Hawk spoke, he took out a book of sword techniques and handed it to Wang Chong.

Wang Chong excitedly took it and asked, "Can I cultivate too?"

"Brother Wang Chong, do not feel inferior. Although the Goblin race has extremely poor talent, that does not mean Goblins cannot cultivate." Hawk placed his hand on his shoulder to encourage him.

"Thank you!" Wang Chong pouted and slapped Hawk's hand away.

"Haha!" Hawk did not mind in the least. "Brother Wang Chong, I am speaking seriously, absolutely not just to flatter you. Do not think the Goblin race is so weak now. In fact, a thousand years ago, a genius and extraordinary powerhouse once appeared. He led the Goblin race, roamed the Arad Continent, and established a mighty empire spanning the continent."

"I know." Wang Chong did not want to discuss Goblins with him.

He carefully put away that Basic Sword Technique manual.

"Uncle Hawk, do you know the Curse of the Ghost God?" Xixi suddenly asked.

"The Curse of the Ghost God? Young Lady, why do you ask this?" Hawk's expression grew a bit tense, as if unwilling to discuss this topic.

Wang Chong pulled up his sleeve, revealing his withered left arm.

"Ah! This is? The Ghost Hand?" Hawk's face changed drastically.

"The Ghost Hand? Could it be you know what is going on?" Wang Chong looked at Hawk excitedly.

"Sigh!" Hawk sighed, looked at the sky, and remained silent for a long time.

Damn it! Putting on airs whenever things get critical!

Wang Chong wished he could go up and slap both of them hard across the face.

"Uncle Hawk, my brother contracted the Curse of the Ghost God to save me. Please help him." Xixi looked at Hawk with pleading eyes.

"Young Lady, it is not that I am unwilling to help him, but that no one can help him." Hawk said helplessly.