Chapter 158

"It's the ratmen."

Luo De spotted sunken traces on the mine tunnel ahead.

Closer inspection revealed an open space beneath the crack.

It was clearly the underground city district of the ratmen.

His perception sensed the area was limited—not the legendary super-sized underground city.

He also sensed over a dozen ratmen expanding outward.

Clearly, this underground city was still under construction.

Not long ago, the witch Dimia drove them away; now it seemed the ratmen had no intention of honoring their promise.

They were secretly building an underground city beneath Shi Ying Town.

"Look! I told you there was treasure!"

"What treasure is an underground ratman city? Keep going forward or go down?"

"Down!"

"Didn't you say we needed to break a ritual seal?"

"You don't understand—the ratmen have special techniques to prevent collapses, which is why they can keep building underground cities. Without a mage, the ritual seals inside can only be broken by force, risking collapse. Though I have some methods, if I seize their treasure, won't I save myself one?"

Good.

Very fitting for a naga's greedy nature.

No wonder they're a wise race that plucks something even when just passing by.

Luo De couldn't let these bastards mess around under Shi Ying Town.

"Let's sneak down and eliminate them one by one," suggested this land naga.

But Luo De shook his head.

"Why bother with such trouble?"

Saying this,

he leapt down through the crack.

Boom!!

He landed in a horse stance.

A massive dust curtain erupted from him as the center.

The ratmen noticed the commotion, turned, and saw a human—immediately panic-stricken.

They chattered incessantly in squeaks.

Luo De understood not a word, and didn't care to.

He drew his single-handed sword, glowing with brilliant gold light, and slashed with lightning speed.

A sharp blue blade wave burst from the blade, screaming with a drawn-out whistle as it flashed through the air.

A blue, sharp sword wave pierced through the blade, accompanied by a shrill, drawn-out whistle, flashing through the air.

In an instant, it split a ratman clean in two.

Blood and organs splattered everywhere.

【Screaming Blade Wave】.

This skill reminded Luo De of sword qi from wuxia TV dramas.

He loved this elegant feeling.

Just standing still, he could slay enemies at range.

Simply standing still, he could slay enemies at range.

Squeee—

Squeee—

Continuous blue blade waves shot out rapidly.

Soon, all the ratman laborers lay dead.

He then scanned the surroundings, searching for objects emitting spiritual or magical fluctuations.

"The collapse-prevention technique isn't necessarily treasure," said Eve.

She had just secured a rope above to ensure their safe return.

She hadn't expected the ratmen below to be wiped out so quickly.

She wasn't surprised.

This guy was terrifyingly strong—never treat him as an ordinary sixth-rank.

Soon,

the two found an anomaly in the earth at the center.

They were about to move toward it

when a violent spiritual fluctuation came from the side.

Eve couldn't dodge in time and was about to activate her magic ring.

A large hand wrapped around her waist and pulled her behind him.

Gazing at that towering back, she was momentarily dazed.

A large hand wrapped around her waist, pulling her behind him.

A green spiritual arrow struck his sword, exploding into a cloud of green poison mist.

"It's toxic. Can you handle it?"

She snapped back to reality and immediately pulled out a vial of antidote.

Luo De smiled.

"I mean—can you handle the poison yourself? I'm not affected."

"You're underestimating me?" Eve was annoyed her kindness went unappreciated. "I've learned 【Toxic Mist】, how could this little thing—"

As she spoke, her expression changed.

"Underestimating me?" Eve was displeased that her kindness went unappreciated, "I've learned 【Toxic Mist】—how could such a small thing possibly?"

"Something's wrong—the poison mist is strong. I'm already feeling effects… You're sure you don't need it?"

Even if inhaling the mist caused no serious harm—just temporary paralysis—the naga princess valued her life dearly.

Luo De turned his head, his expression ambiguous.

"You said you learned 【Toxic Mist】?"

"Yes, so what?"

"Add a condition to the bet: if you can't, you'll eat while casting 【Toxic Mist】."

"."

"Increase the wager's condition: if you don't have it, you'll eat while using 【Toxic Mist】."

Spiritual arrows struck again.

This time, multiple shots.

Luo De merely swung his arm, severing each incoming arrow in succession.

"Interesting, human."

A low, gravelly voice came from midair.

Looking up,

they saw a ratman slightly larger than the laborers, clad in light green leather armor, holding a finely engraved longbow imbued with potent spiritual energy.

He had drawn his bow fully, aiming straight at Luo De.

Oddly, the arrow nocked was not an arrow—but a rusted iron sword.

It too radiated extraordinary spiritual energy.

"See how I handle this!!"

The spiritual pressure of a high sixth-rank crashed down!

As it released, a spiraling wind pressure instantly whipped up a massive dust storm.

The spiritual pressure of a high sixth-rank level crashed down forcefully!

The rusted sword flew from the bow.

Luo De showed no fear, raising his blade to meet it.

Ding!!!

【Triggering Sharpness Check】

【'Sacrificial Blade' Sharpness: 45】

【'Starfire Thunder (Incomplete)' Sharpness: 68】

【Result: Failure!】

【【Starfire Thunder (Incomplete)】Sharpness: 68】

The golden-gradient blade cracked open with a large notch.

"Oh?"

Then came a thunderous boom, sending a massive shockwave through the earth.

"Oh?"

Then came a thunderous boom, sending a massive shockwave surging across the ground.

In an instant, it submerged Luo De.

The archer-ratmen drifted on the airwave and landed on a nearby protruding rock.

"Heh, laughable humans, daring to clash head-on with my divine arrows."

His expression was contemptuous; he had already decided the outcome of this battle.

He then turned his gaze to the rope extending from the cave ceiling and sighed softly.

"Had the abandoned capital not suffered an accident, why would we have taken such risks to settle here?"

With that thought, he looked at the rat corpses, cut into scattered pieces.

He grew angry again.

"Damn it, cut like this—how can we even eat them when we take them back?"

With that, he prepared to land.

Then he saw an arc shoot upward from the dust about to settle nearby.

Immediately followed by a blue cutting wave, screaming as it raced toward him!

Squeak—

The ratman, terrified out of his wits, rolled backward in panic.

But he was on a lone rock—with no path behind him—and tumbled helplessly onto the ground.

Instantly, he felt a searing pain across his back—his flesh had been slashed open.

"How is this possible?! A mere sixth-rank beginner!"

He raised his head, still shaken.

He saw that the human had vanished.

He immediately extended his perception.

"There!"

Hiss!

He raised his hand and fired an arrow.

"Has no one ever told you how stupid you look when you talk to yourself?"

The voice suddenly came from beside his ear.

The ratman spun around in terror and saw the golden sword, its edge chipped, already raised high—about to come down.

His face twisted with ruthlessness; he gritted his teeth and did not block—he yanked the bowstring taut.

Come on!

Let's die together!

He clearly intended to take Luo De down with him.

But ratmen were naturally cowardly, never producing decent warriors—and this archer was no exception.

As if mocking him.

When the spiritual essence of 【Multiple Shots】 was fully unleashed,

the golden sword still did not fall.

Just as the ratman's face lit up with relief, he saw the three spiritual arrows strike the opponent's skin—then snap one after another, leaving not even a white mark!?

"What."

Plop—

The golden sword came down, splitting him in two.

(End of Chapter)