The Lantern Girl, depleted by Fusai, had more than half her face shattered. Three scarlet, single eyes seeped viscous poison, shooting hateful glances. Her whole body was in tatters, pierced with several large holes, and her aura was withered.
Without the Soul-Devouring Lantern, she could only rely on her own Soul Power to fight.
"Die!" Chu Yi roared as he erupted with his Golden Body Power. Wielding the Blood Spear, which trailed a streak of interwoven gold and red light, he swept it out. A brilliant golden arc flew forth, slicing off the Lantern Girl’s arm, which then exploded.
"Damn it, damn it..." the Lantern Girl growled, overwhelming hatred bursting from her. Her figure, like a mass of writhing black smoke, constantly dissipated. Within it, countless faces of old men, children, and women flickered and were heaped together, all ferocious and twisted, their faces a deathly, corpse-like gray.
One of the newly formed heads was, shockingly, Fusai.
"Aargh, it hurts! It pains this prince so much!" he cried, his vertical pupils blinking before revealing an expression of agony.
The body beneath the head felt as if it were being gnawed by a beast, with thousands of ants crawling over it, causing an unbearable itch. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ Nove1Fire.net
"This... this..." Count Magister and the other nobles were terrified. The pile of thousands of corpses grinned at them with a bizarre smile, a chilling mixture of greed, hatred, resentment, and jealousy.
Merely witnessing it for a moment froze their souls, tainting them with an unknown curse.
Chu Yi remained indifferent. His Clock Eyes, reflecting the Twilight Light, had already seen through the Lantern Girl’s essence: a conglomerate of countless souls.
Although this is also a decent material, it’s far from the core material needed for the Soul-Calling Banner.
Three pairs of Crown Flame Wings unfolded behind him, igniting the Ghost Bone Fire. The ghastly white flames, resembling grotesque Demon Ghosts, were a bane to soul-based entities.
The next moment, he shot forward, leaving dozens of afterimages and stirring a gale in his wake. He transformed into a blood-red dragon, wreathed in flames, his Golden Body shining brilliantly, resembling golden Dragon Scales.
The Blood Spear, infused with the ancient Power of Time, ruthlessly penetrated the Lantern Girl’s eerie, unique form.
BANG! BANG! The swarming ghosts and the heads condensed from overwhelming hatred exploded like fireworks before they could even unleash their Divine Power!
An eye-piercing flash erupted in the sky. White flames intertwined with golden light as Chu Yi, like a crimson-gold wild dragon with clashing Dragon Scales, pierced the void in an immensely splendid display.
Relying solely on the formidable power of his physical body, the Golden Body feared no ghost or evil. The overflowing blood energy, bathed in spectacular golden light, was extremely suppressive to souls, capable of burning them to ash!
"Is this Lord Chu Yi’s power? He’s even stronger than a Marquis!"
"Lord Chu Yi’s blood can ignite special flames! Is this his awakened Bloodline Power?"
"It is said that Lord Chu Yi is the offspring of gods and demons. I thought it was just a rumor back then, but now, it seems it might actually be true!"
Some nobles whispered amongst themselves. Compared to Fusai’s desperate Secret Technique to ignite his bloodline and the Lantern Girl’s body formed from thousands of ghosts, the shock Chu Yi delivered far surpassed them both.
His bloodline was extraordinary, suspected to be that of a pure-blooded descendant of gods and demons, akin to the thirteen pure-blood families of the Blood Race Empire that had remained undefeated for millennia!
Moments later, the already weakened Lantern Girl let out a howl. A graceful shadow of a maiden in a dark skirt separated from her and melded into a towering dead tree.
Just as Chu Yi was about to give chase, the white mist churned, tossing out over a dozen "Beasts." Chu Yi dispatched each Beast with a single spear thrust, turning them into pre-meal snacks for Jiuying.
"You go report to the Queen. I’ll be back soon." He tossed out the instruction, then flapped his Crown Flame Wings and chased after the Lantern Girl, quickly disappearing from the bewildered crowd’s sight.
A burst of fire broke through the white mist. The scenery on both sides blurred as it swept rapidly backward. Any "Beasts" that blocked his path were incinerated by the flames casually flicked from his spear.
The amplification from the Golden Body was immense; its overflowing blood energy could incinerate ghosts and even ignite the very rules of existence.
Perfect. Let me explore its lair. Fate’s arrangements are never wrong; the core material I desire must be inside, Chu Yi thought, his eyes narrowing.
He had intentionally let the Lantern Girl escape to avoid unwanted attention. The direction she fled might lead to some surprises.
For example, the soul-type material for the next stage of the Soul-Calling Banner!
According to the game’s mechanics, a pawn had to either sacrifice the creatures it brought or let them fight amongst themselves. The more creatures that died, the easier it was to obtain the "passport" to the next stage.
If the Lantern Girl had a "passport," then killing her and taking it himself would yield the same result.
Just then, the woman, ethereal as night’s ink, gradually slowed her pace, drifting like smoke and clouds before disappearing from view.
Chu Yi’s expression tensed.
The dense white mist had already begun to shed gray frost and snow. Could the creator of this white mist be up ahead? he wondered.
The number of dead trees also increased. Their thick trunks were hidden in the mist, resembling the arms of Demon Ghosts. Fist-sized Meat Tumors sprouted on their branches, pulsing with an ominous, evil aura.
This place... it’s so strange, Chu Yi thought. He had a vague premonition. As he took a few steps forward, countless obscure gazes fixed upon him, spying on the living and exuding a chilling, malevolent intent that sent shivers down his spine.
The Realm of the Dead hated the living.
Following his instincts, Chu Yi shielded himself with a wisp of gray mist. The gazes lost their target, and howls of confusion, astonishment, and aversion echoed around him.
In an instant, a large number of dead trees twisted, rustling as they moved.
Several Meat Tumor Fruits fell. With a POP, they burst open, releasing shadowy cubs only the size of a fruit pit, each with a different form.