Chapter 648: Tokens and the Moon-Peering Hall

In the end, Haili still didn't have the courage to launch a counterattack in Rod's embrace.

The unreasonably pleasant scent on Rod's body left her dazed and wobbly, nearly making her fall over — let alone think up a plan for a counterattack.

After briefly settling the burning heat of the slave brand.

The two of them, hand in hand, continued on their way.

Walking in any direction would do; no matter what, they'd eventually head toward the very center.

"There are three tokens in total — 'Pale Pupil,' 'Blood of Falsehood,' and 'Crown of Silence.'"

They strolled through a forest overgrown with pale-blue mist.

Bored out of their minds.

To settle the agitation in her heart, Haili began explaining to Rod where the tokens were located within the labyrinth.

"They are at three locations respectively — the Moon-Peering Hall, the Blood Pool Chamber, and the Silent Throne. Of course, their positions are randomized as well."

"Are we going to look for them now?"

Rod replied casually.

He scanned the trees in the labyrinth — withered, grotesque.

Seeing their malnourished state was, for a forester, deeply irritating.

Fortunately, the current him no longer needed to resort to such a crude method as personally smearing nutrient solution.

He only needed to switch the Nature phase of 【Child of Nature】 to 'Sprouting Form,' providing the trees with nourishment — the effect could even be better.

"No need."

Haili didn't know why either.

She suddenly felt the surrounding trees becoming much gentler toward her, no longer so cold and sinister.

She went on: "Although the three locations of the tokens each pose some challenge, overall they're still fairly simple — even I alone could pass through and obtain the tokens with ease. In any case, in the end everyone will head to the ruined altar in the central area."

"So the main content of the trial is a battle royale at the center of the altar?"

"You could say that. Of course, we also have to watch out for the monsters that dart out of the labyrinth from time to time."

As she spoke.

The staff in Haili's hand fired off a magic missile.

The missile nimbly slipped between two withered trees and blasted apart a strip of flesh hidden in the bushes.

Rod took a look.

This was no ordinary strip of flesh — the exposed crimson tendons and muscle at either end were connected to two bloodshot eyeballs, writhing and coiling on the ground.

"Throat-Grip Lurker, a type of monster that mainly uses the Beholder Ray. Sometimes they disguise themselves as vines, dropping down to coil around your throat when someone passes by. Watch out for their 【Terror Ray】."

Haili had just finished her explanation.

The two eyeballs on the ground swiveled with a click, and an invisible magic ray had already swept over Rod.

Of course.

For such a small-fry, against Rod's super-high spiritual resistance, even the system prompt wouldn't appear.

The pupils of the eyeballs contracted slightly.

Rod stomped them into mush with one foot, smiling as he said: "If we run into more, don't kill them — I'm quite interested in the Beholder Ray spell."

The 【Eyeball Growth】 skill of the Hundred-Eyed Ghost Battle Soul was just sitting there anyway, and he had also mastered the technique of sacrificing eyeballs to overload its power. Knowing more Beholder Rays to make full use of them would naturally be best.

Haili gave him a strange look.

She didn't quite understand why such a handsome guy, perfectly fine, would be interested in such a disgusting, sinister spell.

Looking at the blood filth all over his shoes and splashing upward, her eyeballs rolled in their sockets.

She said, a touch annoyed:

"Look at you, even your pants are dirty."

"Oh? It's nothing."

"The blood of a Throat-Grip Lurker might be corrosive (just kidding) — let me wipe it off for you."

"No need—"

Before he could finish.

Haili had already taken out a handkerchief imbued with cleaning magic, gracefully squatted before him with her legs together, one hand steadying his knee, the other gently wiping.

Rod looked down.

Her collar had somehow been pulled down quite a bit, and with her bending low like this, a generous expanse of scenery was exposed before Rod's eyes.

Deep-blue, semi-translucent mounds of flesh.

Swaying with the wiping motion, the white close-fitting undergarment was almost visible, drawing near and pulling away, nearly grazing her thighs each time.

Not only that, the hem of her mage robe also had a slit.

As she squatted now, it quite deliberately revealed her slender legs pressed together — utterly bewitching.

"There, all clean now."

After wiping, Haili didn't stand up right away; she simply raised her gaze, looking at Rod with a hint of allure.

Then a spring-breeze-like smile bloomed across her lovely features.

"... Thank you."

"What are you saying? Do we even need that word between us?"

Haili pretended not to care and gave his thigh an affectionate pat.

She rose unhurriedly, expression calm, not even glancing at him.

She didn't even reach for his hand this time.

Her chin, too, unconsciously lifted a few degrees — one could say, brimming with smugness.

Won!

Look at the way he's staring at my chest!

Look at the way he's stumbling over his words!

Who says you can't learn real tricks from shoujo romance manga!? This is the technique I learned from the manga—combining tender motherliness with sensual allure!

This round is Hally's victory! The advantage is still mine!

Rod, oh Rod.

Burn my tenderness and allure deep into your mind~ Then suffer endlessly, craving what you can never have, until you become one of my devoted followers!!

Rod did not sense the Young Lady's thoughts.

Suddenly, a row of countless eyes burst open along his forearms, and behind him, the massive, withered crimson Hundred-Eyed Ghost War Spirit appeared, its countless palms also opening with withered yellow eyes.

【Global Vision +11】

Each additional eye increases perception by 2.85%.

Rod rarely used this skill.

But the mist inside the labyrinth truly did severely suppress perception, and the range of 【Spider Sense】 was also restricted.

Rod turned his head toward the left.

"There's someone there. More than one."

"Oh?"

Hally also looked over.

A sea of mist—magic perception could not penetrate it at all—but she naturally trusted Rod.

"Let's go take a look."

Hally had seen Rod single-handedly overpower and brutally beat a blue dragon; her confidence was already soaring.

She didn't bother suppressing her footsteps or using the invisibility spell.

She walked boldly toward that direction.

Though she occasionally muttered under her breath, resenting why that man never took the initiative to hold her hand.

After walking a short while.

Before they saw any people, a strange building came into view.

Deep in the woods, a circular clearing surrounded by charred ancient trees, their twisted branches like spastic fingers reaching inward.

At its center stood a low, hemispherical stone hall.

Built from pale, bone-like rock, its surface covered in fine cracks, as if it might collapse at any moment.

"The Hall of Peering Moon!"

Hally exclaimed.

"One of the relics is here?"

"Yes! Even though we don't have to seek out relics until we reach the central altar, having them in hand early is still an advantage!"

As they drew closer.

Rod noticed the stone hall had no door—only a narrow, arched crack, its edges glowing with a faint blue light, strangely eerie.

And the people he sensed were standing just beyond that arched crack.

They were three Star Spirit participants, all still with their frontliners.

One had an elephant-dog hybrid, an elephant-hound; another, a four-legged dragon-beast; the third, a Dance of War Spirit controlling armor and various weapons.

Perhaps because they had just finished fighting, all three frontliners were covered in wounds.

Rod saw the fear and hesitation on their faces, and did not act rashly.

Hally also felt something was off.

She asked: "What's going on?"

A Star Spirit female mage who used the massive elephant-hound as her frontliner clearly recognized Hally; her eyes widened in shock and uncertainty:

"Hally—the Hall of Peering Moon is wrong. It's nothing like usual. Lei Meng died inside."

(End of Chapter)