Slaying

Dance? Ou Xiangrong was stunned, his mind unable to process the request for a moment.

This supernatural item was actually inviting him to dance.

Ou Xiangrong sneered. Naturally, he wouldn't accompany an enemy's dancing shoes during a fight. He immediately bit the tip of his tongue and spat a mouthful of blood onto the gleaming edge of his Willow Blade.

As an experienced Spirit Realm Walker and a member of an Evil Profession, he had fought many a Night Wanderer and was well-versed in the skill characteristics of the class.

Supernatural items were known for being bizarre; Ou Xiangrong had once been entangled by one for several days, and it had been incredibly troublesome.

However, their weakness was also obvious: their actual lethality was slightly lacking.

Furthermore, supernatural items generally feared things with strong Yang energy. For an item like this, which seemed to house a resentful spirit, a mouthful of tongue-tip blood was enough to suppress it.

It shouldn't be a big problem.

The Red Dancing Shoes rose and fell, waiting for a few seconds. Seeing that the human before them refused to dance, they seemed to grow angry. A dark red shimmer emerged on the shoes, and amidst a rapid "tap-tap" sound, they charged at Ou Xiangrong.

Ou Xiangrong stood firm, waiting for the Red Dancing Shoes to close in. As they leaped toward the hood of the car to attack him, he calmly swung his Willow Blade, attempting to deal a heavy blow to the resentful spirit residing within.

However, as the blade swept through the shoes, he felt no resistance, as if they were made of air. These bizarre Red Dancing Shoes seemed to exist in another dimension, not in reality.

"Bang! Bang!"

The next moment, Ou Xiangrong's chest and face were kicked hard.

He experienced the same sensation Zhang Yuanqing had felt moments ago—the pain so intense his heart nearly stopped and breathing became difficult. At the same time, a searing heat burned his face, and warm liquid flowed from his nostrils.

This, this isn't a Night Wanderer class item. Ou Xiangrong looked stunned and bewildered, muttering in disbelief:

"Void?"

The characteristics of this item looked somewhat like a certain foreign profession. How could a Level 1 Night Wanderer possess an item from a foreign profession?

There was no time to overthink. In Ou Xiangrong's line of sight, the bizarre dancing shoes changed direction and came stomping toward him again.

He couldn't spare the time to wipe away his nosebleed. He crossed his arms over his chest, and with two loud bangs, the Bewitching Demon was kicked off the roof of the car.

Whether lunging forward, sprinting, rolling, or using vehicles for cover, Ou Xiangrong maneuvered through the spacious underground garage, dodging most of the Red Dancing Shoes' stomps.

But he was still unfortunately struck several times. Each stomp caused him excruciating pain, and the injuries from last night's fierce battle flared up, causing his internal organs to seep blood.

So, so strong. What a useless master. Zhang Yuanqing watched the battle of the Red Dancing Shoes from the sidelines, dumbfounded.

He realized once again the terrifying nature of rule-based items.

Its pursuit could not be broken or interrupted; the target could only passively endure it unless they solved its rule, which was to dance.

But that was unrealistic. Even if Ou Xiangrong submitted to the Red Dancing Shoes and endured the shame of tap-dancing, he would intervene to make the dance fail.

And if the steps went wrong, everything would be for nothing.

However, Zhang Yuanqing also gained a clear understanding of the strength of a Bewitching Demon. With the stomping force of the Red Dancing Shoes, Ou Xiangrong was actually able to withstand it.

His physical body was terrifyingly resilient.

Ou Xiangrong won't just wait foolishly for death. Once he realizes he can only take a beating and cannot fight back, he will definitely choose to flee.

Zhang Yuanqing kept a clear head; he had to launch a sneak attack before the opponent escaped.

He didn't expect to kill him, but he had to stall this murderer.

Bang! Bang!

Ou Xiangrong failed to dodge in time again and was kicked twice in the face by the Red Dancing Shoes, causing him to stumble backward, his vision blacking out and his head spinning.

Opportunity!

Zhang Yuanqing darted out like a cheetah. He gripped the Demon Subduing Pestle and sprinted, running in an arc to circle behind Ou Xiangrong.

He thrust the Demon Subduing Pestle hard toward his back.

"Hum!"

Suddenly, a dense, mist-like white light blocked the triangular tip of the Demon Subduing Pestle.

This power came from the Bronze Waist Token clutched tightly in Ou Xiangrong's left hand—an ancient token covered in cracks and bloodstains, looking like the possession of some battle-hardened veteran.

This was that defensive item of Zhao Yingjun's.

A defensive item?

His sneak attack failed, and Zhang Yuanqing felt a chill. He shifted his feet, circling Ou Xiangrong rapidly, striking the white light barrier again and again with the Demon Subduing Pestle, sending ripples of light spreading out.

This time, with the Red Dancing Shoes providing cover, he wasn't "instantly killed" by the Bewitching Demon, narrowly avoiding several blade strikes and kicks.

Crack!

Finally, under the high-frequency strikes of the Demon Subduing Pestle and the Red Dancing Shoes, the Bronze Waist Token shattered into pieces, and the white light dissipated into dust.

At that moment, Zhang Yuanqing's Night Wanderer duration ended, and his body materialized.

Ou Xiangrong seemed to be waiting for this exact moment. A scarlet glow surged in his eyes, and twisted, evil runes emerged.

Bewitch!

Zhang Yuanqing's brain roared, and he lost the ability to think, as if he had forgotten he was in the middle of a battle. At the same time, a voice echoed in his mind:

Drop your weapon, don't resist. Drop your weapon, don't resist.

Ou Xiangrong grinned hideously, his Willow Blade slashing toward the young Night Wanderer's neck.

He had been willing to endure the attacks of those terrifying dancing shoes and refrain from using his defensive item precisely because he was waiting for the Night Wanderer to make the first move.

This item, belonging to the Scout profession, was already half-damaged; if used prematurely, it would be completely destroyed after blocking the Red Dancing Shoes for only a moment.

He had simply endured it, deliberately revealing a flaw to lure his opponent into attacking.

As he expected, this young Night Wanderer lacked experience and couldn't keep his cool, falling right into the trap.

However, just before the blade sliced across the young Night Wanderer's neck, Ou Xiangrong saw the man's body suddenly collapse. The Willow Blade brushed against his scalp, severing a few strands of hair.

The Red Dancing Shoes that had been relentlessly pursuing him had appeared on the Night Wanderer's feet at some point, forcing him into a split that allowed him to dodge the throat-slitting strike.

At the same time, the Night Wanderer, who should have been under the Bewitching Demon's influence, felt a brilliant golden light surge in his eyes. He instantly shook off the state of confusion, kicked off with his legs, and propelled himself forcefully into Ou Xiangrong.

Ou Xiangrong had never expected such a situation; he hadn't anticipated that a mere Level 1 Night Wanderer could break free from his bewitchment.

At this moment, he was still locked in the posture of his swing and unable to retract his strength, leaving him to watch helplessly as the Brass Pestle thrust toward his chest.

"Pfft!"

Flesh and blood tore as the tip of the Demon Subduing Pestle erupted with a brilliant golden light, burning away the last of the life force within his chest cavity.

Ou Xiangrong's vision went black, and he nearly fainted from the pain, but he was, after all, a battle-hardened Bewitching Demon. In his dying moments, he unleashed his potential, pulling his right arm back to drag the Willow Blade toward the Night Wanderer's throat.

Simultaneously, he tensed his left arm muscles and snapped his elbow joint, turning his left fist into a heavy spear that slammed into the enemy's shoulder.

Zhang Yuanqing jerked his head back, dodging the lethal blade, only to be struck in the shoulder by Ou Xiangrong's fist, sending him flying like a broken sandbag.

Clang!

Zhang Yuanqing slammed into a business car, leaving the window covered in cracks. Before his falling form could even hit the ground, he was erased inch by inch, vanishing from Ou Xiangrong's field of vision.

He had entered the Night Wanderer state once again.

Ou Xiangrong didn't look at him, instead stumbling toward Xu Yingying.

His heart had been destroyed; now, the only thing that could save him was the essence and blood of a living person. He needed to kill to enter a berserk state.

Then, he would rush out of the underground garage and bathe the campus in blood, using the bloodthirsty nature of a Bewitching Demon to repair his injuries and reverse his fate.

Doing so would certainly drop his morality points below 60, making him a wanted man in the Spirit Realm and a target for every Spirit Realm Walker in the city to hunt down, but he couldn't care about that now.

"Tap, tap, tap."

Two faint, dark red glimmers appeared out of thin air, transforming into a pair of brand-new Red Dancing Shoes that intercepted Ou Xiangrong.

To the current Ou Xiangrong, the sound of these footsteps was nothing short of a funeral knell, the sigh of the Grim Reaper, and the verdict of the King of Hell.

"Bang! Bang!"

Ou Xiangrong's face was trampled, leaving his features a bloody mess. He fell backward uncontrollably, but at the very last moment, he flung the Willow Blade from his hand.

The forty-centimeter-long weapon turned into a silver streak, shooting toward Xu Yingying in the distance.

Ou Xiangrong's eyes were fixed intently on the blade.

Ding!

Suddenly, sparks flew as the Willow Blade was knocked away by a Brass Pestle extending from the void. Beside Xu Yingying, a figure materialized.

It was Zhang Yuanqing.

Seeing this, the hope in Ou Xiangrong's eyes turned into despair and unwillingness.

At this moment, the Red Dancing Shoes descended from the sky, stomping onto his face, crushing his nose bridge, splitting his lips, and causing both his eyeballs to burst outward.

Ou Xiangrong's limbs spasmed a few times before his life was extinguished completely.

Zhang Yuanqing sat down heavily beside Xu Yingying, letting out a long breath as if he were completely drained.

His chest was churning with lingering hostility, and his hands and feet wouldn't stop trembling.

This wasn't fear; it was the mental exhilaration brought on by a surge of adrenaline. When a person is in danger and needs to save themselves, adrenaline secretes wildly. In this state, people can become truly cold-blooded killers.

Commonly known as "the rush."

The battle plan had succeeded.

Before fighting this battle, he had thought everything through clearly. The only thing he needed to avoid was the opponent's bewitchment skill, so before deciding to launch a sneak attack, he had already performed a sacrifice on the Demon Subduing Pestle.

Among the functions of the Demon Subduing Pestle, one was purification.

And the second form of the Red Dancing Shoes was the trump card that gave him the confidence to engage in close-quarters combat; it had indeed helped him dodge the fatal throat-slitting attack.

Marking, bewitchment, berserk, melee combat—he had calculated every one of Ou Xiangrong's abilities and made countermeasures. If he still couldn't win after all that, Zhang Yuanqing felt he might as well quit.

After panting for a few minutes, Zhang Yuanqing calmed his agitated emotions and heard a Spirit Realm notification sound in his ear:

[Ding, you have killed a Level 3 Bewitching Demon. You have gained 30 morality points and 15 reputation points. Reputation system unlocked.]

Zhang Yuanqing was stunned. He quickly opened his character attribute panel and discovered a new "Reputation" column.

Reputation? Killing Spirit Realm Walkers from a hostile faction rewards reputation? As a veteran gamer, he wasn't unfamiliar with reputation, but he didn't know what it was used for in the Spirit Realm world.

Zhang Yuanqing thought for a moment and decided to ignore it for now, planning to log into the official forum later to look it up.

Compared to the reputation rewarded by the Spirit Realm, the loot in reality was what concerned him more.

He stood up and walked over to the body of Ou Xiangrong, kicked the eyeballs under the car, and dragged the corpse into the shadows in the corner.

He searched the body carefully and found a mobile phone and a wallet.

The phone was an old-fashioned model that could only make calls, but the wallet was bulging. Upon opening it, he found a stack of hundred-yuan bills and a fake ID card.

Zhang Yuanqing counted it carefully. "As a wanted criminal, you only carry fifteen hundred yuan on you? Is this reasonable?"

Confiscated! He pulled the money out and stuffed it into his pocket.

Next, he walked over to the distance and picked up the sharp Willow Blade.

The moment he touched the weapon, a message appeared in his field of vision:

[Name: Bloodthirsty Blade]
[Type: Weapon]
[Function: Bleeding, Bloodthirst, Armor Piercing]
[Introduction: A powerful Bewitching Demon fed this blade with his own essence blood. Over time, it became extremely bloodthirsty. Its blade can cut through hard steel, wounds inflicted by it are difficult to heal, and it will absorb the prey's essence blood to feed back to the master, making them more powerful.]
[Note: A blade that doesn't want to kill its master is not a good blade.]

"This blade looks pretty badass. If I had let it kill Xu Yingying earlier, Ou Xiangrong would have received the weapon's feedback. Good thing I kept my guard up and stayed by Xu Yingying's side."

Zhang Yuanqing ran back to Ou Xiangrong's body, unbuckled the scabbard from his lower back, equipped it on himself, and then sheathed the Bloodthirsty Blade.

This blade was currently ownerless; making it recognize a master was simple—just store it in the inventory.

But Zhang Yuanqing didn't want to store it just yet, because the [Note] in the item information was a bit unsettling.

The Bloodthirsty Blade likely belonged to the category of items with a cost, and that line in the note was the price of using it.

Combining this with the blade's introduction, Zhang Yuanqing could roughly guess what the cost was. It was likely one of two things: either anyone who obtained this blade would be cursed and eventually die a miserable death, or the blade required the master to feed it with essence blood regularly. The latter was the most probable.

Feeding it essence blood again? A Demon Subduing Pestle had already made me anemic; if I add this Bloodthirsty Blade to the mix, how am I supposed to live?

At this moment, Zhang Yuanqing saw the Red Dancing Shoes "tap-tap-tap" their way over to him. As they rose and fell, a message appeared:

[Would you like to dance with me? If you are willing, please march in place.]

He only then remembered he hadn't returned this item to his inventory. Just as he was about to refuse and retract the item, a notification from the Spirit Realm suddenly echoed in his mind:

[Attention: Each use of this item requires one dance. If you refuse, the Red Dancing Shoes will no longer appreciate you and will initiate a hunt against you.]

Zhang Yuanqing opened his mouth in surprise. This was his first time using it in reality since subduing the Red Dancing Shoes, and he hadn't expected that using this rule-based item would require paying such a price.

If I don't dance with you, you'll kill me? This is too much of a scam. Zhang Yuanqing stood up with a beaming smile. "I'd be delighted."

Soon, crisp tapping sounds echoed through the empty and quiet parking garage.

This time, Zhang Yuanqing didn't trigger his old ailment; instead, he completed a dance relying on his extraordinary physique, though his steps were frequently wrong.

Fortunately, as the master, he did not suffer an attack from the Red Dancing Shoes.

After finishing the dance, the Red Dancing Shoes stepped back with their right foot, stood on their tiptoes, and performed a curtsy.

Just as he stored the Red Dancing Shoes back into his inventory, his ears twitched, and he heard hurried footsteps coming from the steep slope.

Looking toward the sound, he saw Li Dongze leading Guan Ya and seven or eight unfamiliar Spirit Realm Walkers, sprinting into the underground garage.

Some of them held guns, some held blades, and some were carrying cats. They were fully armed.

Thank goodness, thank goodness I finished dancing already. Zhang Yuanqing felt incredibly relieved.