Ch. 345 - Familiar Specter
Die, Replay, RepeatThis chapter is broken. Please report this on discord.
Notes
Translator's note: Sorry for the waiting, guys, I got very sick days ago and had to take a leave. Feeling much better now.
This chapter is broken. Please report this on discord.
Translator's note: Sorry for the waiting, guys, I got very sick days ago and had to take a leave. Feeling much better now.
The dragon’s eyes burned like twin pools of fiery hell, its jaws looking ready to snap up the sun and moon. With a vibe of pure, godly rage, it rushed at Taotie like a wave no one could stop.
Right then, Wen Jinglong made his move. He balled his fist and threw a punch into the empty air—no flash, no show, just straight and simple. But the sky roared back.
BOOM!
The clouds twisted hard, the air thickening as a giant fist shape took form up high, carved from spinning mist. It hung there like a mountain top stuck in the sky.
The power of that one hit rolled out, a brain-rattling force that felt like it could flip the world over and smash the stars to bits.
With the cloud-fist and blood dragon leading, the rest of the crew let loose their own storm of attacks. Taotie’s flesh vortex whirled faster, facing the barrage dead-on.
This time, with two fifth-tier psychics going full blast, the attack’s raw strength blew their earlier tries out of the water. When Taotie sucked it all in, something awful happened.
Its already puffed-up body bloated even more, stretching out like it was stuffed with air. Crazy, wild energy churned under its skin, bulging and twisting like snakes caught inside. The rotting flesh groaned and warped under the pressure.
A chilly smirk slid onto Lu Ziming’s face, echoed by the others. “He’s tapped out, huh?”
“That Taotie’s his biggest play,” Wen Jinglong scoffed. “Once it blows, let’s see what he’s got left to stand on!”
BOOM!
A noise like a mountain caving in blasted from Taotie’s body. It was a sight straight out of a disaster flick—like a bomb going off against a cliff.
Flesh flew everywhere, the ground cracking as waves of rot poured out. From the beast’s center, a flood of decayed meat spilled forward, hitting the battlefield like a wave slamming the coast.
Taotie… went down.
Its leftovers spread flat across the dirt, a nasty layer of flesh over ten feet deep stretching every way.
From up high, it looked like the ground had been wrapped in a rotting blanket. Yang Ming and the others, still untouched, stayed tucked in that grim pile.
Floating above, Fang Xiu hung in the air, black flames licking from the wings on his back. Taotie’s messy end didn’t shake him one bit—no jump, no blink, just cool and steady.
Wen Jinglong’s laugh broke the silence, loud and cocky. “Hahaha! Fang Xiu, we gave you a shot, and you threw it away. Forced us to burn our Spiritual Energy just to school you. Now your big ugly pet’s gone—what’s your next move? Too late to act friendly!”
The others piled on, their icy smirks locked on Fang Xiu like he was meat ready to carve.
Only Lu Ziming held back, brow creasing. “Wait up. We need to clean this sludge first. I’ve tangled with that thing before—it can keep coming back forever.”
Wen Jinglong huffed, brushing it off. “Forever regen? Everything’s got a soft spot, human or Specter. This one’s just banking on being huge. Its real heart’s buried in there somewhere. You can chop its body all day and it won’t quit—but hit the whole thing, take out the core, and it’s lights out for good. I’ve seen this type of Specter tons of times.”
Lu Ziming still felt off, but Tong Yang slapped his shoulder. “What you ought to stress about is not letting this bastard bolt. He can fly, don’t forget.”
“Fang Xiu, don’t think you can just fly off,” Wen Jinglong taunted, his voice thick with scorn. “The Land Between isn’t that wide. You might slip away for a day, but not for good. What’s flying gonna get you? You’ll have to drag yourself back to Whitestone eventually, check into Yue Lai Inn. And when we’re waiting at the door—hah—what’s your move then?”
Fang Xiu’s grin stretched wider, sharp and wild, as he fired back. “You’re bouncing back strong. But Lu Ziming, didn’t I warn you? In the Land Between, as long as the Specters keep rolling back, so do I—and Taotie. What, didn’t share that little tip?”
Lu Ziming’s jaw tightened. “Cut the act, Fang Xiu. Last time, it was a mob—your gang sapped my Spiritual Energy, so I couldn’t put Taotie down for good. That’s why it kept crawling back. This time’s not the same. It’s us versus you. Endless regeneration’s a fairy tale when you’re up against real strength.”
Fang Xiu shook his head, a faint glimmer of pity in his gaze. “The Land Between gave you a playground to toughen up, but it’s shrunk your mind. If you had even a scrap of bigger thinking, you wouldn’t be standing there yapping about ‘real strength’ like it’s your golden ticket.
"Now, rise, Taotie.” Fang Xiu murmured.
At his words, something unreal kicked off. The thick layer of rotting flesh carpeting the ground started to squirm, moving like it was alive.
“No!” Wen Jinglong yelled. “He’s coming back—stop him!”
Lu Ziming’s face fell as he barked at the others to hit the fleshy mess. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! A flurry of fierce attacks slammed down, blasting bits of meat into the air.
“Cosmos Devouring!” Fang Xiu’s rough laugh cut through, and what came next was something they’d never shake.
A sickening wave of rot-stink burst from the flesh carpet, rolling out for miles. Then—the sky turned black.
They looked up, frozen in terror, as the cause showed itself: an endless tide of snake-like Specters, billions of them, covering the sky. The twisting swarm dropped like a cloud of starving bugs, diving for the rot below. They latched on, gobbling up the decay with greedy jaws.
Lu Ziming’s face went pale. He’d seen this play out before. “Kill them!” he shouted. “Don’t let Taotie eat!”
Too late. The flesh carpet warped, sprouting tons of tiny meat-and-blood vortexes.
The snake Specters poured into them—millions gone in a blink. The sprawling rot started bubbling and roiling like a stormy sea.
BOOM! BOOM!
Spikes of flesh shot up from the ground, stretching high before melting into one giant mass. Right in front of their shocked eyes, Taotie pulled itself back together—a hulking, mountain-sized monster throwing a shadow that ate them whole. A deep, primal cold settled into their bones.
Only now did they get what Fang Xiu meant by undying.
“Go on,” he said, looking down with a mocking grin. “Kill it again. Let’s see it.”
A furious yell broke the quiet. “If Taotie won’t stay down, then I’ll take you out!”
Wen Jinglong hurled himself upward, jumping high. As his climb slowed, he kicked off thin air—his foot landing on unseen steps of packed wind. Again and again, he rose, shrugging off gravity.
Fang Xiu’s eyes sparked with curiosity. “Air tricks, huh?” He’d already pieced it together. That huge fist print in the clouds earlier? Same deal—Wen Jinglong twisting the air to do his bidding.
Down below, Lu Ziming watched him climb and felt a stab of worry. He’d warned the others about Fang Xiu’s moves before they’d teamed up.
They’d waved it off—super healing wasn’t fresh to them. Specters did that all the time. It was a pain, not unbeatable. Nothing was truly immortal, they’d argued; you just needed enough punch.
Lu Ziming had bought in. He’d been Chief Commander for years, crossing all kinds of Specters. He believed that, If something wouldn’t die, that was just becauseyou weren’t hitting it hard enough.
Now, with three fifth-tiers, seven fourth-tiers—that crew should’ve been more than enough.
Still, staring at the reborn Taotie and Fang Xiu’s steady smirk, doubt chewed at him. Maybe they’d gotten it wrong after all..