The Fox-Eared Girl Who Appeared Like a Ghost

Ninth Elder!

The moment Lin Zichen saw the Hunchbacked Masked Man, those three words immediately came to mind.

The Masked Man, now a pile of minced meat, cried out for help to the so-called Ninth Elder before he died.

The hunched figure before them, with a masked man with long white hair behind him, looked remarkably like the Ninth Elder.

"Buzz!"

"Buzz!"

"Buzz!"

Suddenly, several vines shot out.

It instantly wrapped around Lin Zichen, binding him to the spot and rendering him unable to move.

Lin Zichen frowned and immediately unleashed his qi and blood in an attempt to break free from the vines' restraints.

However, it was discovered that no matter how much energy and blood were released, it was impossible to break free.

The vines on its body look very slender, only about the thickness of a finger.

However, its strength far exceeded that of the thick vines that the Masked Man had previously controlled.

This means that the Hunchbacked Masked Man's Biological Rank is far higher than that of the Masked Man!

Lin Zichen suppressed his panic and warily examined the Hunchbacked Masked Man in front of him.

His body was hunched over, his skin dry and wrinkled, and his hair was completely white.

I could not sense any biological pressure emanating from him.

The mask he was wearing had a very conspicuous Clover pattern engraved on it.

Upon seeing the Clover pattern on the mask, Lin Zichen's heart sank.

The Branch Cult Leader's Biological Rank is ordinary Tier 9 Great Perfection, and his mask is engraved with Single-Leaf Clover pattern.

The Masked Man's Biological Rank is Advanced Tier 6, and his mask is engraved with Double-Leaf Clover pattern.

The Hunchbacked Masked Man before us had Clover pattern carved on his mask.

What does that mean?

This means that the other party is very likely Rare Tier powerhouse!

A powerhouse on par with Yuan Dongzhi!

Thinking about this, Lin Zichen felt a sense of despair.

Even if you have a huge cheat code, and are very good at killing opponents of higher levels.

With Biological Rank of only ordinary Tier 9, there was no way he could possibly defeat a Rare Tier powerhouse.

"It truly surprises me that a genius like you could emerge on Earth."

"What kind of parents are needed to give birth to a human whose physical strength is comparable to that of Exotic Human?"

"If I have the chance in the future, I should visit your parents."

The Hunchbacked Masked Man spoke in a slightly hoarse voice.

As soon as he finished speaking, a thought crossed his mind, and he instantly rose into the air.

Then, he remotely lifted Lin Zichen up, intending to take him back to the headquarters of the Divine Plant Cult.

It's over... Lin Zichen's face turned ashen.

Just then!

A jet of Water Blade in from the side at lightning speed!

It was accompanied by a piercing whooshing sound!

With a few swift movements, the vines binding Lin Zichen were sliced into several pieces!

At the same time!

Dozens, even hundreds, of cone-shaped water jets, imbued with rich qi and blood energy, shot towards the Hunchbacked Masked Man like bullets.

A series of muffled thuds followed.

The Hunchbacked Masked Man's body was instantly riddled with holes by the water jet, and he fell to the ground like a bird with broken wings.

As it fell, Lin Zichen, who had lost his Mental Power support, also fell.

The moment of landing.

Lin Zichen adjusted his falling posture, landed feet first, and landed safely.

The Hunchbacked Masked Man, his body riddled with bloody holes, crashed heavily to the ground, kicking up a cloud of fallen leaves and dust.

Lin Zichen instinctively looked toward the Hunchbacked Masked Man.

Then, to their surprise, they found no trace of the Hunchbacked Masked Man.

Yes, it was just a dead tree full of holes.

Before he could even react,

From a towering tree ahead, a somewhat surprised, aged voice suddenly rang out:

"Yuan Dongzhi, what are you doing here?"

"..."

Lin Zichen looked in the direction of the sound.

They then discovered that the Hunchbacked Masked Man, whose body had been pierced by the water jet, was now standing unharmed atop the towering tree in front of them, gazing ahead with deep, unfathomable eyes.

Then follow the gaze of the Hunchbacked Masked Man.

Lin Zichen saw Yuan Dongzhi wearing a blue and white porcelain cheongsam.

At this moment, Yuan Dongzhi was gracefully suspended above a stream.

I was standing on a towering column of water.

A pair of clear, cool eyes reflected a domineering gaze.

His aura was exceptionally powerful.

"From the moment Lin Zichen shone brightly in the Military District, I knew your Divine Plant Cult would definitely get restless, so I've been secretly watching him, waiting for you to make your move."

Yuan Dongzhi said calmly.

The Hunchbacked Masked Man laughed after hearing this, "Playing along, huh? Interesting."

After saying that, he calmly added, "Let Yao Heling come out. I can handle you two little girls on my own."

"Ha, arrogance."

Yuan Dongzhi sneered, "Do you think things are still the same as they were back then?"

"I am no weaker than you now."

"There's absolutely no need for Yao Heling."

As soon as he finished speaking, the water column beneath Yuan Dongzhi's feet suddenly grew dozens of times larger, and countless Water Blades and spikes separated from it, instantly filling the sky.

"Go!"

That's what happened.

The next second, the Water Blade and spikes floating behind Yuan Dongzhi all aimed at the hunched old man in front of him and shot out at lightning speed like a volley of arrows.

"Get up!"

The Hunchbacked Masked Man shouted, summoning countless vines from the grove of trees beneath his feet that shot into the sky, blocking all the incoming Water Blade and spikes.

Then, he immediately manipulated these vines to attack Yuan Dongzhi, covering her with an overwhelming force.

With a thought, Yuan Dongzhi conjured a 40-meter-long Water Blade from the towering water column beneath his feet. He gripped it tightly with both hands and swung it forcefully, instantly cleaving the encroaching vine net in two.

"Boom!"

The ground beneath the Hunchbacked Masked Man's feet suddenly trembled violently.

In the next instant, dozens or even hundreds of towering trees were uprooted and surged towards Yuan Dongzhi, their vines spreading across the sky.

It was as if countless gods and Buddhas had descended from the heavens; the scene was extremely awe-inspiring.

During this period, the entire Coastal Forest shook violently, with soil flying and rocks cracking.

Birds and beasts fled as if they were in a frenzy.

For a moment, it felt like the end of the world had arrived.

When gods clash, mortals suffer.

Seeing that things were not going well, Lin Zichen immediately turned and ran, fearing that he would be caught in the crossfire of the fierce battle between the two Rare Tier experts.

But before he could run a few steps, he suddenly remembered that he hadn't yet devoured the pile of minced meat on the ground.

So he quickly turned back, reached out and touched the pool of flesh, and a thought flashed through his mind: Devour!

[You have devoured a large amount of the Life Origin of the "Wood Spirit"]

[Wood Spirit Atlas: 100%]

[You have devoured a large amount of the Life Origin of the "Nine-Turn Soul Worm"]

[Nine-Turn Soul Worm Illustration: 100%]

As soon as he finished devouring it, Lin Zichen immediately got up and ran away as fast as he could, getting away from the battlefield as quickly as possible.

He was just an Ordinary Rank ant.

The two Rare Tier powerhouses in the sky were unleashing their full power; even a wisp of residual force from their attacks could severely injure or kill him.

If we don't run now, we might really die without even knowing how.

As he ran wildly, a scene slowly appeared in the Void.

A humanoid creature that is entirely green, has four wings on its back, and is less than one meter tall.

He was hovering more than ten meters in the air, manipulating a vine-like Exotic Plant several meters tall, causing it to burst forth with a large number of thorny vines, which shot fiercely towards the other Exotic Beast around him.

In a matter of moments, all the Exotic Beast within a radius of several miles met their demise.

Its body, covered in poisonous vines, was mercilessly dragged toward the Exotic Plant.

As Lin Zichen ran, he took a moment to glance at the Exotic Beast entangled in vines.

Then, to my surprise, I discovered that they were all Exotic Beast from the picture books I had previously opened.

The Ghost Shadow Squid of Water Fusion Fortune.

The Violent Roc of the Eye of the Sky.

The Breath-Hiding Dragon form of Natural Camouflage.

The Void Eel, Danger Perception.

Rapid Self-Healing, Living Dead Slug.

The Immunity to All Poisons, immune to Myriad Poison Mongoose.

All six Exotic Beasts were dragged to the base of that Exotic Plant.

As the vines tightened suddenly, they all died instantly, becoming fresh corpses.

Soon.

At the top of the Exotic Plant, a bright red flower bud sprouted.

The flower buds are growing and developing at a visible rate, becoming more and more mature and larger.

As the flower buds grow larger.

The six Exotic Beast corpses entwined on the vines were rapidly drying out.

In a short while, they became dried-up corpses, nothing but bones and skin.

Meanwhile, the flower bud growing at the top of the Exotic Plant had fully bloomed into a flower.

It is a strangely beautiful flower.

The petals are as red as blood, covered with wriggling blood vessels.

The flower's center resembles a fleshy grape and emits a salty, pungent aroma.

It makes people feel a little uncomfortable.

Seeing that the flower was ripe, the humanoid creature greedily reached out and plucked it, swallowing it whole.

Before long, its four wings were covered with vein-like patterns, constantly radiating the pulse of life.

At the same time, its body became stronger.

His muscles bulged slightly, exuding explosive power.

After it left.

A jet-black worm crawled out of the soil and onto the shriveled, skin-and-bones corpse of the Exotic Beast.

Then, it extended its needle-like mouthparts and precisely pierced the corpse's forehead, sucking up the remaining Mental Power in its skull.

While the insect was engrossed in feeding...

The humanoid creature flew back and discovered the presence of the insects.

On a whim, he manipulated the vines to shoot at the insects on the corpse, intending to kill them and use them as nutrients for the Exotic Plant to grow flowers.

However, just as the vines were about to strike the insects, they suddenly all froze in mid-air.

Then they directly reversed the Heavenly Gang and attacked the humanoid creature on the other side.

It was the insects that unleashed their Mental Power, forcibly wresting control of the vines from the humanoid creatures and instantly turning the tide of the battle.

The scene that appeared in the Void quickly vanished after it was shown.

Instead, four notification messages appeared in the Void.

[You have successfully unlocked the Wood Spirit Atlas and obtained the Biological Attribute - Lord of the Forest]

[Lord of the Forest: You can consume Mental Power to control the surrounding plants]

[You have successfully unlocked the Nine-Turn Soul Worm Atlas and obtained the Biological Attribute - Higher Spirit]

[Higher Spirit: Your Mental Power has been greatly enhanced]

The Lord of the Forest who can control plants?

Higher Spirit that can enhance the mind?

These two Biological Attribute are clearly a perfect match.

Moreover, it leans towards the mage attribute.

Thinking about this, Lin Zichen couldn't help but feel a little scared.

The reason I was able to defeat the Masked Man without taking any damage, despite crossing six ranks, was not only because of my own extraordinary strength, but also because the Masked Man was a mage-type Gene Fusionist whose physical body wasn't particularly outstanding.

Otherwise, let alone defeating the Masked Man without taking damage, they might even suffer a complete defeat.

However, luck is also a part of ability, there's nothing more to say about that.

"Buzz--"

Suddenly, a whooshing sound came from not far away.

Lin Zichen's heart sank, and he immediately used Eye of the Sky to look in the direction of the sound.

Then, an unexpected figure came into view.

It's Instructor Lu Tianrong!

On the other side, Lu Tianrong also spotted him and immediately sped up to meet him.

Lin Zichen's heart tightened, and he quickly unleashed his inner energy to distance himself from Lu Tianrong, preventing him from getting close.

He suspected that Lu Tianrong was Human Traitor.

Lu Tianrong did not appear when he confronted the masked Masked Man earlier.

Lu Tianrong did not appear when he faced the Hunchbacked Masked Man.

Just when he had regained his freedom and was about to escape, Lu Tianrong appeared.

What is this if not Human Traitor?

99.9999% sure he's Human Traitor!

Lin Zichen was very cautious.

Based on the principle that one should not have the intention to harm others, but one should not be without the intention to guard against others, Lu Tianrong was directly labeled as Human Traitor.

He unleashed a torrent of energy within his body, his legs moving in blurry fashion, preventing Lu Tianrong from getting close.

However, things didn't go as planned.

Lu Tianrong's speed was several times that of him.

In less than half a minute, she caught up with him and appeared to his side.

"Zichen!"

"It's me!"

"Instructor Lu, Lu Tianrong!"

As Lu Tianrong approached, he shouted at Lin Zichen, who was less than ten meters away.

At this moment, due to the overactivation of the Exotic Beast genes within him, his body had become noticeably beast-like.

Its mouth is full of sharp, large fangs.

It has a pair of arms covered in fine hairs on its back.

In addition, he was covered in blood.

This made the person look extremely ferocious.

"Instructor Lu, what's going on?"

Lin Zichen felt a little nervous, but he didn't show it on the surface, only a hint of doubt.

Lu Tianrong's Biological Rank is Advanced Tier 6.

And he was not seriously injured.

Lin Zichen's strength is at most equivalent to the Advanced Tier 4.

If Lu Tianrong is indeed Human Traitor, then Lin Zichen is in grave danger.

It was hard for Lin Zichen not to be nervous.

Lu Tianrong, unaware of his nervousness, quickly explained to him:

"In the previous fight against that Masked Man who could control vines, I had to over-activate the Exotic Beast genes within me in order to defeat him."

"After over-activating the Exotic Beast's genes, his strength is now greater than the Masked Man's."

"Unfortunately, my skills were no match for theirs, and I was trapped by their vines, unable to escape."

"Luckily, Principal Yuan spotted me and casually used Water Blade to free me from the vines, otherwise I would still be trapped here."

"..."

After hearing Lu Tianrong's words, Lin Zichen chose to believe him.

Because, given Lu Tianrong's strength, dealing with him would be an easy task; there's no need to make up this convoluted story.

Lu Tianrong asked, "By the way, where are the others? Why are you the only one here?"

Lin Zichen explained, "We were being chased by the Masked Man was severely injured. I knew Masked Man was after me, so I lured him away by myself so the others could escape. They should be near the bus now."

"I see."

Lu Tianrong nodded, then asked, "What about the Masked Man?"

"I killed him."

Lin Zichen said something surprising.

Upon hearing this, Lu Tianrong's eyes widened in disbelief.

Lin Zichen explained again, "The Masked Man was severely injured and his strength was greatly reduced. I killed him by sneak attack."

"I see."

Lu Tianrong nodded and said, "I seriously injured that Masked Man back then, and his strength has probably declined to the point where he's no longer even at the Advanced. If you had ambushed him, you definitely could have won."

After saying that, he asked, "Was the Branch Cult Leader, whose Biological Rank was as high as the Great Perfection of the Tier 9, also dead?"

Lin Zichen: "Yeah, dead."

Lu Tianrong nodded, without asking any further questions.

He implicitly acknowledged that the Branch Cult Leader was beaten to death by a group of special trainees.

Lin Zichen asked, "Instructor, are you alright?"

"Fine."

Lu Tianrong smiled and said, "Although there is a tendency for it to become alienated, there won't be any problems if we go back to the Military District to deal with it in time."

Lin Zichen then asked, "Instructor, who exactly is that Ninth Elder who is currently engaged in fierce combat with Principal Yuan?"

Lu Tianrong replied, "This Ninth Elder comes from the Divine Plant Cult; he is an elder of the Divine Plant Cult."

"The Divine Plant Cult has a total of nine elders, all of whom are Rare Tier experts."

"Among them, the Ninth Elder is in charge of personnel matters within the sect."

"This man is said to be nearly two hundred years old, and many of today's prominent figures had contact with him when they were young."

"Of course, it wasn't a deliberate contact; rather, I was plotted against, coerced, and lured by him."

"There are rumors that when Principal Yuan was young, he was coerced and tempted by this Ninth Elder. Fortunately, Principal Yuan had the backing of a powerful family and was extremely strong himself, so he was not succeeded."

"..."

"I see."

After Lin Zichen finished speaking, he asked, "You said that the nine elders of the Divine Plant Cult are all Rare Tier experts, so what about their Cult Leader? Is he Epic- level expert?"

Lu Tianrong shook his head. "I don't know, the Cult Leader of the Divine Plant Cult has never shown his face."

"But I suspect it must be Epic- level powerhouse."

"Otherwise, it would have been impossible to gather so many followers and establish such a large Heretic Cult."

"..."

Epic level – that's a level that can withstand a nuclear bomb.

Lin Zichen felt that this level was too far away.

A little over a minute later.

The two finally broke out of the forest and saw the bus parked by the roadside.

At the same time, they also saw Shen Qinghan and others.

These people were moving very slowly because they were poisoned by the flower. They had only just run out of the forest and were about to board a bus to leave the area.

"Xiao Chen!"

Upon seeing Lin Zichen, Shen Qinghan immediately ran over and, with tears of joy streaming down her face, threw herself into his arms.

She cried as she said, "I was so scared just now, scared that I would never see you again. Let's never be apart again, okay? Never even for a moment."

"Yes, we won't separate."

Lin Zichen patted her head to comfort her.

At this moment, Ma Xiwei walked over and asked, "Why are you covered in blood? Are you injured somewhere?"

Before Lin Zichen could respond, she handed Lin Zichen a small medicine bottle, saying in a cold voice, "I have a Great Recovery Pill here. Take it and take it."

She remembered that Lin Zichen had saved her once before, and now she wanted to repay Lin Zichen.

Just as Lin Zichen was about to say no, Shen Qinghan released him from her embrace, carefully examining his body while saying with a worried expression:

"Xiao Chen, you're covered in blood. Where are you hurt? How badly are you injured?"

When Shen Qinghan first saw Lin Zichen, she was so overjoyed that she cried tears of happiness and didn't notice that Lin Zichen was covered in blood.

Only now, after hearing Ma Xiwei's question, did she belatedly realize this.

For a moment, I felt extremely guilty.

She felt clumsy and less attentive than a stranger, which made her unworthy of being a fiancée.

Lin Zichen held her hand and said, "Okay, stop checking. I'm not injured. The blood on me is someone else's, not mine."

"Really?"

Shen Qinghan looked up at Lin Zichen.

She suspected that Lin Zichen was telling a white lie to avoid worrying her.

"Really, I'm not lying to you."

Lin Zichen didn't explain further after speaking, but looked at Ma Xiwei in front of him and smiled, "Thank you for your kindness, but I'm not injured right now, so I don't need the Great Recovery Pill."

"It's alright, you can keep it. You can use it if you need it in the future."

Ma Xiwei directly stuffed the Great Recovery Pill into Lin Zichen's hand, then turned and walked away, wisely choosing not to disturb the couple's affection.

She doesn't like owing favors, and if she does, she'll repay them on the spot if possible.

In certain special circumstances, it is even acceptable to offer oneself in marriage.

Lin Zichen glanced at the medicine bottle containing a Great Recovery Pill in his hand, didn't think too much about it, and chose to accept it and put it in his pocket.

"Everyone's here!"

"Let's get on the bus and leave right away!"

"This place is dangerous!"

"The Divine Plant Cult has sent a Rare Tier expert, who is currently in a standoff with Principal Yuan."

"If we stay here, we might get caught in the crossfire of the battle between those two Rare Tier experts."

Despite the excruciating pain of his transformation, Lu Tianrong shouted loudly to the crowd.

As time went by, he felt his animalistic instincts growing stronger and wanted to go to the nearest hospital for treatment as soon as possible.

To avoid causing permanent damage that could have been prevented if the process dragged on.

Everyone looked surprised upon hearing this.

Has the Divine Plant Cult produced a Rare Tier expert?

Is it really necessary?

And, Principal Yuan actually came?

Where are the people from the Military District? Why haven't they arrived yet?

Everyone was filled with doubt.

But everyone knows that now is not the time to dwell on these doubts.

The most urgent thing is to get in the car and leave here as soon as possible.

Thinking it over, everyone got into the car and waited for Lu Tianrong to drive away.

Once everyone was on the bus, the engine was running, and it was time to leave.

Suddenly, a graceful and beautiful figure appeared in front of the car.

She is a Fox-Eared Girl.

Without any warning, like a ghost, it appeared out of nowhere in front of the car in the blink of an eye.

P. S.: I'm setting up the bowls, please vote with your monthly tickets and recommendations!