Chapter 15: Demon Slayer
Cao Yu’s arrogance had fully ignited Xia He’s hatred, marking him as her primary target.
The severed giant serpent writhed as the red hair forming its body wildly regrew, restoring itself within a second.
Then, nine giant serpents surged forward in unison, attacking Cao Yu.
The onslaught whipped up fierce winds, an imposing spectacle. Yet Cao Yu stood unflinching, his gaze icy as he chose to charge head-on.
With the “Immortal Severing Curse” enveloping his entire body, he could feel his spirit rapidly draining—he had to end this swiftly!
Like a sharp arrow piercing the battlefield, he advanced with unstoppable momentum.
Mountains ahead shattered beneath him; seas before him split asunder.
His body smashed through the ferocious serpents, tearing countless red hairs apart, swiftly closing in on Xia He’s true form.
“Why can’t I stop him…! Why can’t I hurt him… Stop! Don’t come any closer!” Xia He screamed.
Cao Yu’s ferocity silenced not only her laughter but also her anger and hatred.
Within less than ten seconds, she lost all will to fight.
It was clear she only excelled when the wind was at her back; faced with adversity, her true useless nature revealed itself.
But this wasn’t entirely her fault. The “Seven Killings War Lord” ranked eleventh on the overall superpower leaderboard in the Evolution Game, specializing in lethal combat—no ordinary means could counter her.
“I’m done fighting! I’m done!” Xia He’s face grew pale with fear as she hesitated no longer and retreated.
She actually fled!
Seeing Cao Yu relentlessly pursuing, her fear surged.
“Bastard! Stop chasing me! Just stop…!”
“Heh, scream all you want. No one’s coming to save you!” Cao Yu sneered, his voice dripping with murderous intent.
At that moment, under An Li’s control, three corpse puppets that had already flanked from behind suddenly leapt out along Xia He’s escape path, lunging at her.
“Get away!” Xia He wielded a giant serpent and slammed it forward—boom! The blow was blocked by the Broad Corpse Puppet’s “Blood Shield.”
The Broad Corpse Puppet was blasted backward, nearly torn apart, but succeeded in diverting the serpent’s attack, creating an opening for the Dwarf Corpse Puppet and the Long-armed Corpse Puppet to close in.
The Dwarf Corpse Puppet leapt before Xia He, its gaping maw tearing toward her neck. Seeing this, Xia He, unable to fully block Cao Yu, hastily drew another giant serpent to counterattack.
Taking advantage of this moment, the Long-armed Corpse Puppet extended its arms like ropes, binding Xia He tightly in place.
Though the corpse puppets were fairly sturdy, they were still too weak against Xia He—she could probably break free in a few seconds.
But those few seconds mattered.
While Xia He was restrained, Chen Ran took a deep breath, gripped the middle of the “Flaming Staff,” and hurled it with all her might like a spear!
Raised in a military family, Chen Ran had undergone shooting training since childhood with remarkable talent—she was nearly flawless within a hundred meters. After entering the Fourth Institute, she endured brutal primitive weapon throwing training, extending her natural skill to this arena.
At such a short distance and with a fixed target, missing was impossible!
With a whistling sound, the “Flaming Staff” streaked forward, sparks flying as it sliced through the air like lightning, piercing through Xia He’s back—boom!
The ensuing fiery explosion tore Xia He’s body in two.
Even then, Xia He did not die, though her breath grew faint.
Her severed body parts writhed with countless red hairs, rapidly drawing together to reconnect, then healing at an astonishing speed.
“This is possible…!?” Chen Ran stared in disbelief.
Fortunately, Cao Yu had taken this brief moment to surge before Xia He.
He simultaneously activated the “Immortal Severing Curse” and “Perpetual Wound Curse,” then raised his barbell and struck—this time not vertically.
Xia He’s petite frame and agile red hair made vertical strikes easy to dodge; a horizontal slash was necessary.
He cleaved her in two at the waist!
The newly healed Xia He’s body split again.
But this time, no matter how she tried, she could not rejoin or heal.
Some intangible force obstructed her regeneration.
Her breath weakening, her voice trembling with fear: “Why can’t I heal… why…”
She looked at Cao Yu with a mixture of resentment and terror.
“Monster! You monster! You can’t kill me! What about An? He needs me! You don’t understand how precious our love is! You can’t…”
“Enough of your babbling. Take it up with my superpower,” Cao Yu said dismissively.
He swung the barbell down vertically, splitting Xia He’s upper and lower halves into four pieces.
The nine giant serpents scattered.
The dense red hairs ceased twisting, lying like a carpet on the ground.
An Li and Chen Ran seized the opportunity to approach.
Together, they examined and confirmed—Xia He was indeed dead.
Yet they still finished her off with repeated strikes, ensuring she was shattered beyond repair before stopping.
They then turned to Song Shian, who had fallen nearby. Even without Xia He’s controlling influence, Song Shian remained dazed, growing increasingly transparent upon landing until vanishing entirely.
It looked as though his soul had dissipated.
None of them felt sympathy.
A scumbag who toyed with feelings did not deserve death, merely moral condemnation, but when faced with ruthless foes, he had no choice but to swallow his pride—bad luck for him.
With the battle over, Cao Yu felt a twinge of emotion.
This time, his two teammates had been invaluable, creating the chance for a swift victory.
Had he fought alone against a cowardly monster like Xia He, he would have had to feign weakness, trading minor wounds to lower her guard, baiting her pride and arrogance, before delivering a fatal blow once she closed in.
Otherwise, if too overwhelming, she would flee, and the chase alone would consume immense effort.
That was the advantage of teamwork.
Looking at Xia He’s shattered remains, Cao Yu remarked,
“This proves that a waist cut isn’t always instantly fatal for some beings.”
“Is that why you always slash vertically?” Chen Ran teased.
An Li crouched, touching Xia He’s remains, sighing deeply.
Her superpower had failed again.
Obviously, Cao Yu had used some mysterious technique to destroy the corpse’s usability.
But An Li bore no complaints. The “Puppet Master” was essentially the dungeon’s sub-boss. Facing her without full effort was reckless and irresponsible.
Chen Ran noticed An Li’s actions and grew curious.
“You’re going to make puppets from her? Such prime material—those puppets would be ridiculously strong! You’d be rich!”
“I hate love-struck fools,” An Li stood and wiped her hands with a free wet wipe, disdain evident in her tone. “Using corpses of people like her lowers my IQ.”
“Uh… making puppets with a caste system now?” Chen Ran, ever the pragmatist, was baffled.
An Li changed the subject.
“Side quest two—no completion prompt yet.”
Chen Ran speculated, “Among our buffs, we got a full-map ghost locator. Maybe it’s hinting that we need to kill all the other ghosts to finish the quest.”
“Let’s split up,” Cao Yu suggested. “These ordinary ghosts aren’t a threat anymore. While the buff lasts, we should clear them out quickly.”
“Alright,” Chen Ran drew her staff from the ground, nodding. “Let’s make the most of it.”
This time, she didn’t resist the idea of splitting up—the situation was different now.
Before, she had been timid because she was weak.
Now, she was here to save the world.
Because she was good.
…
The three quickly dispersed, beginning their hunt for ghosts.
The process didn’t last long.
When night fell, ghosts without bodies or preparation arrived in Singers’ City only to become prey for the “Corpse Ghosts,” which slaughtered many of them.
Internal strife had reduced their numbers.
Cao Yu adhered to the rule “kill ghosts, not people.” If he encountered ghosts who had completed resurrection rituals, he spared them.
Even so, he killed nineteen ghosts.
He ranked second in kills.
Chen Ran, with the strongest physique, was last.
Though she could run faster than a cheetah, her speed couldn’t be sustained long, and ghosts were scattered throughout the city. Traveling on foot was less efficient.
Cao Yu, riding a motorcycle, overtook by cutting corners—when city roads were blocked, he activated “Immortal Severing Curse” on his bike, ramming through obstacles and treating city streets like a highway, speeding with incredible efficiency.
Still, he lost to An Li.
Because that girl… damn, she actually used the “Dust-Dispersing Golden Ring” to fly!
They were all newbie players, yet she could fly—where’s the justice in that?
Cao Yu could only say, “No wonder it’s a D-tier item.”
At 9:30 p.m., the three regrouped at the mall where they had fought Xia He.
They had all received the Evolution Game’s prompt:
[You have completed Side Quest Two.]
“Finally done!” Chen Ran glanced at her panel. “Only an hour and a half left until the main quest ‘Survive 12 Hours’ ends. Where to next?”
An Li looked at Cao Yu. “Temple of the Buddha Mother. Shall we go?”
“Not now,” Cao Yu shook his head. “Too much uncertainty there.”
He had thought that killing the “Puppet Master” would unlock information about the Buddha Mother. Yet even now, he couldn’t determine whether the Buddha Mother adhered to the dungeon’s balance.
Balance meant that if a dungeon presented a challenge, it must provide a way to solve it—“Puppet Master” was strong and unbeatable, hence the “suicide clear” method.
That was balance.
But the Buddha Mother never appeared in the dungeon’s tasks.
In other words, she might comply with balance—or not.
If she didn’t… their current buffs were gained under her rules; who knew if she could revoke them?
Taking on the Buddha Mother now would be pure gambling.
With an hour and a half left in the main quest, provoking her might turn into a disaster.
“Not going now?” An Li pressed.
“Don’t get your hopes up,” Cao Yu shook his head. “I’m just curious about the Buddha Mother. I plan to check the temple after the main quest ends, not during.”