Chapter 262

Although there was some bragging involved, Fang Yue was indeed full of confidence.

He couldn't wait to test himself against any Black Grade mid-level wraith, to find out just how strong he had become!

Seeing Fang Yue so certain, Zhang Dashou hesitated, then reluctantly agreed to lead the way after Fang Yue handed him two Zha Yuan Pills.

The two walked against the black spines; every tree they passed was immediately ambushed by thorns erupting from its trunk.

But Fang Yue merely raised his blade and brought it down—a flash of light, and all the black spines were severed mid-air.

"If that Black Grade mid-level wraith's only attack is this, it's definitely dead."

After repeatedly confirming the strength of the black spines, Fang Yue finally relaxed a little.

After leaving Mo Cun, Fang Yue had headed straight toward Yuanyuan Hill.

To reach the location of 【Witch-Knowledge】, one must pass through Yuanyuan Hill and Ruoyun Stone Ground.

Everything had gone smoothly at first; the path to Yuanyuan Hill still extended through village roads, making the journey perfectly safe, with no wraiths encountered at all.

But once they left the village road and entered Yuanyuan Hill, Fang Yue sensed a faint, lurking threat in the darkness.

Still, these hidden wraiths were all weak—too timid to approach even a Human Soul Bonfire—so Fang Yue paid them no mind.

When he delved deeper into Yuanyuan Hill and neared this area, he noticed that black spines suddenly shot out from the surrounding trees.

At first, Fang Yue thought these were tree-type wraiths, so he chopped down several trees, hoping to dig out the wraiths hidden inside.

But after cutting down dozens of trees without finding any core, he abandoned the idea—still, dealing with the black spines every time he passed a tree was endlessly irritating.

Only when he met Zhang Dashou did he learn what these black spines truly were.

Thus, if the core was destroyed, this path would naturally become clear.

A normal post-heaven Second-rate Realm cultivator, even if capable of cutting down trees and studying wraiths, would never waste so much energy chopping trees.

But Fang Yue was different; under the boost of 【Night's Breath】, his fatigue meant nothing—he recovered instantly.

Zhang Dashou soon noticed this too.

Along the way, whenever black spines ambushed them, Fang Yue always reacted instantly, severing them with the fastest, most decisive strikes.

"We need to speed up."

As if sensing something, Fang Yue suddenly murmured.

Immediately, Zhang Dashou felt his body lighten—he was lifted up and sprinted through the forest.

With the wind howling past his ears, black spines whizzed by, grazing his sides.

The trees behind them were rapidly left behind; even when they sprouted more black spines, they could no longer keep pace.

In the darkness, the Human Soul Bonfire carried by Fang Yue flickered wildly, like a brilliant meteor piercing the dark, racing straight toward the Meng Clan Hunting Group's temporary camp.

"T-too fast! Idol, too fast! I—I can't take it!"

Amid the howling wind, Zhang Dashou shouted loudly.

His small frame simply couldn't handle such speed.

The wind pressure roared in his ears; the scenery around him, as Fang Yue accelerated further, blurred into a Gaussian smear.

In this blinding speed, he faintly thought he heard familiar cries of agony and pleas for help.

They were the surviving members of the Meng Clan Hunting Group.

"Idol! Someone's still alive!"

Zhang Dashou shouted, but Fang Yue showed no sign of stopping or changing direction.

Zhang Dashou thought Fang Yue hadn't heard him—until Fang Yue suddenly said, "Can't save them."

Zhang Dashou opened his mouth to argue, but quickly realized: they truly couldn't be saved.

Fang Yue was only one person; he could save only so many.

Even if he brought others to his side, he couldn't protect them all.

The only true way to save them was one path: kill the wraith possessing the Regimental Commander—then all the living would be saved.

Zhang Dashou fell silent, carried by Fang Yue, and soon saw familiar scenery.

It was the temporary camp the Meng Clan Hunting Group had established just minutes earlier.

The bonfire in the center still burned fiercely.

But the people who had celebrated earlier now lay as dried corpses beside the Human Soul Bonfire, lifeless.

"This is it?"

Fang Yue set Zhang Dashou down beside him and scanned the surroundings warily.

But he found no trace of any wraith.

"Y-yes, Idol. The wraith possessed the Regimental Commander here. Now we don't know where it went."

Fang Yue frowned; he scanned the area again but found no sign of the wraith.

The dried corpses on the ground, however, made him feel uneasy.

Their skin was shriveled, like they'd been utterly dehydrated; their faces were skeletal, as if completely drained.

Faint traces of yellow flower powder lay scattered on the ground—likely the strange flowers Zhang Dashou had mentioned.

Also, the black spines that had frantically erupted to block his advance moments ago had vanished entirely.

The temporary camp was silent as a graveyard—only the faint breathing of the two living men stirred the air.

"Master?!"

At that moment, Zhang Dashou, examining the corpses, suddenly cried out.

He had found his master's body among the dried corpses.

Though this so-called master had never treated him well, he had taken him in, letting him survive in Mo Cun, take missions, and earn Yang Shou rewards to keep playing the game.

He'd even gotten into this hunting group because of this so-called master.

So Zhang Dashou did feel some attachment to him.

Now seeing his master lying among the corpses, he couldn't help but feel emotion rising.

But it quickly faded.

Because he remembered something more important.

"That's not right! Master was clearly fleeing with the other Hunters, not killed first by the black spikes. Why is his corpse back here?"

Realizing this, Zhang Dashou's breathing grew rapid, and he instinctively edged closer to Fang Yue.

But the next moment, he suddenly widened his eyes, freezing stiff.

"R, Regimental Commander?!"

The Regimental Commander's corpse was also quietly resting among the corpses.

But unlike the other desiccated bodies, under the glow of the Human Soul Bonfire, the Regimental Commander's corpse had a ruddy complexion and steady breathing, as if alive.

But Zhang Dashou knew well: after the Possession left A Lei's head, it had possessed the Regimental Commander's body!

That meant, the current Regimental Commander was that Possession!

Stepping backward, Zhang Dashou shouted loudly at Fang Yue: "Idol!!"

"What is it?"

"The Regimental Commander's corpse! The Regimental Commander's corpse is here! It was previously possessed—now I don't know what's going on!"

Fang Yue frowned, about to speak—suddenly his expression changed, he lunged forward and yanked Zhang Dashou's body backward, and in that instant, a brilliant blade glow appeared!

The blade glow sliced through the air, severing a black shadow.

"... Dodged..."

The Regimental Commander's body—or rather, the Fallen Petal Possession's body—slowly rose from among the corpses.

As the Fallen Petal Possession rose, Fang Yue noticed that behind it were embedded countless thin tubes, like pipelines.

These tubes were made of a material resembling wood, giving off a strange sensation.

A quick glance revealed to Fang Yue that the number of tubes precisely matched the number of corpses on the ground.

That meant, this Possession hadn't just killed people and absorbed their lifespans—it was now also absorbing nutrients from the corpses, maximizing efficiency entirely.

"So it was you... the Black Grade Mid-level Possession that killed the entire Meng Clan Hunting Group!"

Fang Yue stared intently at it. Though it was a Black Grade Mid-level Possession, Fang Yue felt no sense of its power.

It was as if, with a single casual slash, he could easily slay the creature before him.

So Fang Yue moved.

Like a startled hare!

In an instant of explosive speed, Fang Yue closed the distance to the Fallen Petal Possession.

Inner Qi erupted, his strength surged, tiny flames ignited across his entire body.

"Blazing Heart Method!"

Compared to Starfire Heart Method, Blazing Heart Method's Inner Qi was far more turbulent and warlike.

Thus, its activation speed was also faster.

Almost instantly, the Inner Qi within him exploded outward.

Flames burned over his body, power surged forth.

Control +70 points!

Plus base attributes.

"Control: 140 【Base: 120】 【Status/Bonus: +20】."

Control surged wildly—before Fang Yue even swung his blade, his power had already exceeded that of an ordinary Postnatal Second-rate Realm expert!

140 + 70 = 210 Control points!

Yet, this was not the end.

"Starfire... Blade Technique!"

Blade Technique was somewhat sluggish, but among common Martial Techniques, it was still decent.

First Level Starfire Blade Technique directly added 10 Control points.

Sizzle!

Starfire flickered on Leng Yue's blade, paused for an instant...

Boom!!

Wild flames erupted skyward.

Leng Yue transformed into a Fire Blade; the towering flames illuminated everything around, and for an instant, the Fallen Petal Possession's stunned expression.

It had not expected Fang Yue to unleash such a lethal technique at once.

And in that moment of its hesitation, Leng Yue slashed forward.

Boom!!

Rather than a Flame Blade Technique, it was more like an Explosive Blade Technique.

With Starfire Blade Technique at 220 Control points, combined with Leng Yue's sharpness bonus, this slash sent flames surging like a tidal wave over the Fallen Petal Possession, blasting it clean off its feet.

"Aaaahhh!"

Mid-air, engulfed in roaring flames, the Fallen Petal Possession let out an inhuman scream, then CRASHED into the nearest tree.

The flames instantly spread up the tree, even igniting and burning the tubes embedded in the Fallen Petal Possession's back.

1251!

52!

75!

71!

A massive damage number first popped up over its head, followed immediately by continuous burning damage.

Strike while it's sick!

Seeing that the slash was effective, Fang Yuejian charged forward again without any pause, but the Luohua Gui immediately caught sight of this, its face gradually twisting into a ferocious grimace.

Then, an unbelievable scene unfolded!

+1251!

+52!

+75!

+71!

A + sign actually appeared above the Luohua Gui's head!

That was the message of its HP recovering frantically!

Moreover, however much HP the burning flames took from it, that much HP it recovered.

This was the first time Fang Yue had encountered a Gui with a 'recovery' ability.

Not recovery on the physical level or any other aspect.

But recovery of HP!

This thing's actually a healer?!

Fang Yue paused briefly, then quickly came back to his senses, charging without hesitation to the Luohua Gui's front and slashing down at it once more.

Blazing Fire Blade Technique!

Boom—!!

The raging wave of flames exploded outward once again.

And this time, Fang Yue not only struck the Luohua Gui, but also set the great tree behind it completely ablaze.

Flames shot skyward, the great tree crackling and popping as it burned.

It's them! That familiar feeling!

It's the Blazing Fire Sect… people of the Blazing Fire Sect!

The Luohua Gui seemed to suddenly realize something, its emotions growing agitated.

Its chest had already been carved open with a huge wound, and a massive -1211 damage number had popped up over its head, but the terrifying thing was…

The next second, a +1211 HP recovery prompt popped up over its head again!

But strangely, the huge wound on its chest showed no sign of healing at all.

Through the torn-open chest, Fang Yue saw that inside the Luohua Gui's body there were no human organs at all, but clumps of things like black straw, packed densely inside the body, just like the stuffing inside a stuffed panda toy—looking bizarre and disgusting.

Most shocking of all was that when the burning flames touched this black straw, they immediately went out!

His face darkening, Fang Yue didn't hesitate and brought down a third slash.

"Star Fire Blade Technique!!"

The Blazing Fire Heart Method had increased his internal energy by a large margin and raised the power bonus the Heart Method provided.

But at the same time, the Heart Method's internal energy consumption had also greatly increased.

Simply put, the mana cost had gone up.

The moment Fang Yue's third slash went out, a chunk of his internal energy was gone.

Fortunately, the power was worthy of the internal energy spent.

Another exaggerated four-digit damage number exploded out—Fang Yue's Leng Yue blade, sweeping with flames, carved a huge cross-shaped wound into the Luohua Gui's chest.

But in an instant, the damage was filled back by recovery, as if everything had just been useless effort.

"You can heal all you want—let's see just how much blood you can recover!"

That was what he said, but the slash Fang Yue raised his blade to deliver actually landed on the transport pipes on the ground connecting to the Luohua Gui's back!

Chopping a machete into power lines—sparks and lightning all the way!

Boom!!

The massive wave of fiery heat, along with the Leng Yue blade, directly severed all the wooden transport pipes on the ground that connected to the Luohua Gui.

But the Luohua Gui was unmoved, simply staring fixedly at Fang Yue with a certain hateful emotion.

"Blaz…ing… Fire… Sect?"

"That's right! The eighteenth-generation disciple of the Blazing Fire Sect, Niu Niu—today I'll take your dog's life!"

After severing the transport pipes, Fang Yue almost without thinking swung his blade again.

And at that instant, the Luohua Gui moved.

It, for the first time, counterattacked!

(End of chapter)