Chapter 355: The Mind-Stealer and the Fire-Spouse

Luo De's departure wasn't because he couldn't fight or didn't want to.

It was because the moment the battle began, the middle-aged woman trailing him fled.

It wasn't because she detected Luo De's counter-tracking.

More likely, she was just a coward who ran the moment she saw a fight.

This mission was entirely about her; delaying with others would be pointless.

So Luo De broke off combat cleanly.

As for that silver-armored, silver-spear heroine—she was merely a sixth-rank peak, no matter how strong, she wasn't worth mentioning.

Luo De didn't rush forward to grab her immediately.

He watched from afar as the fool scrambled away in panic.

Clearly a pauper—her spiritual technique enhancement for fleeing was worthless, and she had no magic rings on her hands.

Her escape speed was painfully slow, to be honest; Luo De feared making noise and drawing the silver-armored heroine's interference.

He waited roughly ten minutes.

Luo De judged it sufficient, then flashed instantly before her.

He grabbed her throat and lifted her up.

The woman didn't even have time to speak—she stared in terror as a large black Shi Laimu before her grew from small to massive, engulfing her entire head.

Crunch crunch—

Sizzle sizzle—

The sounds of bones snapping and acid corroding flesh echoed continuously.

Shi Laimu Xiao Hei's 【Memory Devour】 activated successfully.

After all, it was a Shi Laimu—its intelligence was insufficient.

Xiao Hei's consumed memories were incomplete; Shi Laimu primarily used this skill to accumulate experience and enhance spiritual energy.

Indeed, her spiritual energy had slightly increased.

Mostly because this person was just weak.

Can you believe it? She was still a sixth-rank.

This made Luo De realize sixth-ranks included both masters like the silver-armored heroine and trash like this one.

The headless corpse dropped to the ground.

The wound on its corroded, blackened neck continued spreading downward.

Luo De reviewed the memories transmitted via 【Mind Link】.

"Her name is Aimi La·Kanbeier Kanbeier?"

That surname felt familiar.

Couldn't recall it—whatever.

He didn't dwell on it and kept reading.

The more he read, the more wrong it felt; his brow tightened further.

Her memories were chaotic, contradictory, often nonsensical, and faintly revealed a fanatical worship and reverence for a monster called Duoxinmo.

This was clearly the mark of mental manipulation.

The appearance of the Duoxinmo also appeared in her memories.

It was a slender, humanoid monster with an octopus head.

"Mind control? Duoxinmo? That's exactly the new race An Na said escaped from the Super Volcano Labyrinth."

Luo De had encountered such things in past-life fantasy works, but didn't understand them well.

No.

Why would this thing be interested in my counterfeit magic ring?

Luo De was surprised.

In his guess, this was likely someone from the Heavenly Court Flower Nation—or at least a group of criminals seeking profit, not a bunch of brain-eating psychics using mental arts.

"Hmm, from what I recall, these things only specialize in mental arts—maybe they want to learn how to manufacture them to gain more methods?"

Maybe.

Luo De didn't care anymore.

From Aimi La·Kanbeier's memories, he learned this group of Duoxinmo had been severely wounded when escaping the labyrinth, reduced to only about twenty, now hiding in the nearby Hei Doupeng Mountain.

Mental arts and spiritual arts were essentially identical.

Luo De feared spiritual techniques the least.

He revealed a cold smirk.

He planned to raid their lair.

As for why Aimi La·Kanbeier had rescued refugees affected by volcanic ash—

Her memories provided the answer.

"Ugh—"

The Shi Laimu Xiao Hei on his hand let out a gagging sound and vomited something out.

The object landed in the thick volcanic ash, leaving a small depression; under the Shi Laimu's slime, it emitted sizzling acidic white mist.

It was a black-and-white, palm-length, soft, worm-like creature.

Xiao Hei transmitted feelings of disgust and revulsion toward the thing.

Luo De gently patted the squishy Shi Laimu to comfort it, then flicked out a thread of grievance fire, reducing the soft worm to ash.

Duoxinmo larva.

Perhaps the spiritual environment altered their bodies, preventing normal natural growth.

But the Duoxinmo's intelligence was clearly high.

So they quickly found a solution.

—Parasitize the larva inside a human body.

Once matured, the larva would devour the brain entirely, then usurp its host, transforming into an adult Duoxinmo with an octopus head and human body.

And in the food Aimi La·Kanbeier gave to the refugees—

All of it was mixed with Duoxinmo eggs.

"What a disgusting creature."

Luo De sneered coldly.

But then a problem arose:

"Come to think of it, where exactly is Hei Doupeng Mountain? Her memories didn't have detailed routes—only that it was south."

The ash obscured the sky, making even the sun's position invisible.

Luo De sighed.

It was so inconvenient not having a girl around.

He drew out 【Tremor Soul Blade】 and threw it into the sky, activating its 【Compass】 function.

After all, a mountain-sized target was easier to find with direction.

He flew for roughly an hour.

Luo De finally spotted a small village with signs of human activity.

This area was far from the Mu Guang Mountains' volcanoes, so damage was less severe than in the north.

Dead-gray volcanic ash piled thickly on rooftops like snow; the houses here were flimsy, constantly at risk of collapse.

He helped clear the ash, and the villagers thanked him profusely, shouting praises like "hero," "savior," and offering to give him their daughters.

It made sense—in such hardship, the Half-Deer People's hero prophecy would be even more popular.

Luo De confirmed the location of Hei Doupeng Mountain with them; after receiving a positive answer, he prepared to depart immediately.

"My lord, please be warned—Hei Doupeng Mountain not only hosts demons, but also has a long-established Huo Ling. This season happens to be its time to seek a Xin Xu, so be extremely careful."

The village elder warned him.

Xin Xu? What's that?

But Luo De didn't ask aloud.

Facing the crowd's adoring gazes, he stuck to his principle of playing the cool expert—he nodded coldly and flew off.

Then immediately privately asked Kali in 【Far Speech Chain】.

【Kali: During winter, Huo Ling contract their heat to reduce external temperature damage, and to maintain flame vitality, they select "fuel." In ancient times, before magic artifacts developed, they captured humans from nearby villages, fused them into their bodies, and burned them alive. Back then, humans didn't understand, and since the captured were mostly strong, large men, they called it "seeking a Xin Xu."】

【Kali: Now, countless magic artifacts can serve as "fuel," making human capture—low-quality fuel—completely unnecessary, unless it's some remote, archaic Huo Ling tribe preserving the habit.】

【Luo De: What a coincidence. (smile)】

【Kali: Where did you go messing around again?】

(End of Chapter)