Chapter 84: Banshee Warning and Snake-Men (Requesting Follows)

Near the southern gate of Cuiyu City.

In the shadow of a building corner, the Banshee Krista poked out her head and glanced around.

Finding no one paying attention, she quickly slipped on the dress she had just stolen, covering her prison garb.

Then she solidified her form and blended into the crowd leaving the city.

She left Cuiyu City freely, strolling along without a care.

She let out a long breath.

She couldn’t help but think the people of Cuiyu City were cruel—unable to tolerate even a tiny Banshee.

If not for the prison break, she might’ve had to eat prison meals for much longer.

Goodbye, never again.

“It’s all those two bastards’ fault.”

Krista had no desire for revenge.

All she wanted now was to return to her village, scam some money when she had time, and live as a carefree Banshee.

Clip-clop clip-clop clip-clop clip—

Two swift horses galloped past on the main road.

The dust they kicked up coated Krista’s face.

“Cough! What the hell! No manners? Huh?”

She shouted angrily at the tall human and the halfling girl on horseback.

Poor Krista didn’t recognize Luo De or Lily, as both had been under some degree of transformation magic at the time.

Yet, she sensed an unusual aura emanating from the two.

【Banshee Warning】 triggered.

After years of debunking in Cuiyu City, many no longer regarded Banshees as omens of death.

But in truth,

For generations, the race that had served as mourners for the powerful had evolved a new spell to survive.

【Banshee Warning】—the ability to foresee the imminent death of a great person.

At this moment, a spiritual thread stretched from afar and vanished into the man on the road.

This did not mean the man himself would die, but that his fate was tied to the death of some great one.

Krista’s eyes rolled.

She decided to follow them.

Many didn’t know that mourning for the powerful was one of their paths to advancement.

One day later.

Luo De and Lily appeared before the outpost outside the Labyrinth.

The fast horses beneath them carried geolizard blood—swift, yet jolting violently.

Lily nearly vomited from the bouncing.

Yet because of it, they reached the Labyrinth’s edge in just one day.

Normally, horses feared the Labyrinth and would never enter it.

Even geolizard-blooded hybrid horses couldn’t—only true geolizards might have a chance.

Fortunately, Luo De had found some potions among the spoils he took from the land naga Eve—potions that enhanced beasts’ mental resistance.

Though after taking them, their lifespans might be drastically shortened.

Another day passed.

The horses were eventually killed by the scorching heat of Chire City’s territory.

And under Naulin’s guidance, the two reached their destination.

In the distance,

Stood a stepped structure resembling a Mayan temple.

Luo De distinctly remembered not having seen it on the way here.

“It’s earth magic. Watch out, Luo De. Such mages may not be strong in direct combat, but most can summon elementals. I once faced a rock spirit skilled in earth magic—he could summon rock element giants endlessly as long as he stayed on the ground.”

Lily said.

Rock spirit?

Luo De had seen such beings in the Crystal Wastes.

They appeared as humanoid forms made of stone, with hard, angular contours—truly deserving the description of a face carved by a blade.

He wasn’t particularly interested.

After encountering the Skytree Eva, he now preferred trying out cute, beautiful races that fit human aesthetics—not strange ones.

Ah, if only he could meet a naga again.

To be honest, he quite enjoyed being clingy with Eve.

“Watch out! Something’s coming!”

Lily warned.

Not far ahead,

Pink dust rolled as a group of stout, obese snake-men sprinted forward on all fours.

Snake-men differed from nagas.

They were more like giant snakes with human limbs—dim-witted, lacking any organized system or tribal structure, wandering alone across the continent.

Rumor had it that a snake-man kingdom existed a thousand years ago, but for unknown reasons, it collapsed, and no one has since united the snake-man race.

“Do snake-men have legs? I’ve seen illustrations in books—they have tails and arms, and snake heads.”

Luo De drew his golden sword.

These snake-men were mediocre in strength, and far fatter than the usual slender ones.

He didn’t bother with spiritual arts.

With a soft zzzt, lightning arced across the blade, coating it with the long-unused 【Lightning Blade】.

“Most don’t. They consider legged snake-men as malformed, and discard or devour them at birth. Rarely do so many appear at once.”

Lily replied.

Tally poked half her head out from Luo De’s shadow and said:

“I know. Legged snake-men have a structure similar to normal races, while legless ones have two. My aunt tried both—she said legless ones are novel, but not as good as legged ones.”

As she spoke, she pressed her two index fingers together, then pulled them apart.

“...”

The two ignored her decisively.

Luo De shoved her back into the shadow.

Lily pulled out her staff.

A test magic missile struck the lead snake-man’s chest—blood exploded into a mist, leaving a deep, gaping wound.

“Only around fourth-rank power? And yet it didn’t pierce through? They’re fat enough, and their muscle strength is higher than normal for their rank.”

Hum!

Luo De used 【Swift Shadow】 and appeared before them.

He swung 【Sacrificial Blade】 sharply from left to right.

A sweeping slash cleaved six or seven snake-men at once, severing them at the waist.

Blood sprayed upward, then fell like raindrops.

“Is that so? I don’t think so.”

Luo De said, standing beneath the blood curtain.

“You’re challenging me? Let’s have a contest.” Lily’s competitive spirit flared.

In her own rank, she had rarely met anyone who could match her.

Though she’d never fought Luo De directly, she sensed the immense power within him.

“Just joking.”

Luo De pointed to the other side of the temple.

“There’s movement over there too.”

“I’ll check.”

Lily’s magic surged, and a white dove made of mana appeared atop her staff.

The dove fluttered into the air and flew toward the source of disturbance.

Not long after,

“It’s the Fufeng people—they’re fighting the snake-men too.”

Lily said.

“At least we’ve got some help, right?” Luo De smiled.

The Fufeng people worshiped the dragon soul beneath the Labyrinth—Naulin. While summoning Luo De, she had clearly summoned her own followers too.

Another group of fat snake-men approached from ahead.

Luo De stomped hard on the ground.

【War Stomp】+【Steel Charge】!

This technique is truly worthy of the Qing Xiaobing Divine Art.

Since he reached the sixth tier, both of his skills have grown stronger.

Just this single combo technique killed or wounded more than half of the snake soldiers.

Meanwhile, resentment increased bit by bit.

【Resentment: 352】.

“Huh? They have wings?”

Just as he was about to continue forward, Luo De noticed on the snake soldier’s severed limbs a pair of small fleshy wings on its back.

Lily was also startled.

She crouched down to examine it.

Then she quickly molded a snake head, and on its crown, two tender horns covered in pink, tiny warts were clearly growing.

(End of Chapter)