"Flower of the Other Shore!"
Xiao Hen lowered his head toward the goddess's chest and abdomen. Red rays flickered across the black Flower of the Other Shore, thread after thread gathering together before shooting into the sky and spreading throughout the entire space.
Hu Bayi and the others had already begun fighting the zombie skeletons that had suddenly appeared. But there were simply too many of these monsters, practically endless. One "awakened" creature after another charged relentlessly toward them.
"Quick, smash the Flower of the Other Shore! The red light it emits is affecting us and creating this strange illusion. We have to destroy it to get rid of these monsters!" Hu Bayi shouted.
Xiao Hen did not move. He reached out and grabbed the Flower of the Other Shore, intending to place it in his Storage Space, but froze for a moment before shouting in his mind, "Shuttle, I've already obtained the Flower of the Other Shore. Why can't I put it into the Storage Space?"
"The energy of the Crystal of Illusion, Flower of the Other Shore, is currently being activated. Retrieval requires time. Please wait, Host..."
"Wait?" Xiao Hen's eye twitched. Damn it, how long could they wait at a time like this?
"Come on, hurry up and destroy the Flower of the Other Shore!" Shirley Yang struggled to fend off the skeleton monsters' attacks as she turned and shouted at Xiao Hen.
"Mine! My Flower of the Other Shore! It's mine! I'm saved!" Ying Caihong roared hoarsely. While dodging the monsters around her, she greedily stared at the Flower of the Other Shore in Xiao Hen's hand.
Xiao Hen gritted his teeth. Looking at the endangered Hu Bayi and the others, he could not simply stand by.
"Damn it, how much longer? How much longer?" Xiao Hen demanded in his mind.
"Ten minutes. Please wait patiently, Host!" The Shuttle's voice was calm and ethereal, without the slightest emotional fluctuation.
"Fuck..." Xiao Hen cursed. Holding the Flower of the Other Shore in one hand, he leaped forcefully from the coffin down to the large platform of the underground palace where Hu Bayi and the others stood.
Hu Bayi, Wang Kaixuan, and the others faced attacks from countless monsters. They were in extreme danger, and Big Gold Tooth had even been driven into a corner with nowhere left to run.
"Mine! The Flower of the Other Shore is mine! Give it to me!" Ying Caihong's wig had fallen off, revealing horrifying centipede-like scars across her scalp. Seeing Xiao Hen arrive on the platform, she immediately lunged at him excitedly, trying to seize the Flower of the Other Shore.
"Get lost!" Xiao Hen kicked her, sending Ying Caihong tumbling several times.
Taking a moment to glance at the Character Panel, Xiao Hen saw the mission bar clearly display: Side Quest: Protect Ying Caihong as she enters the Goddess Tomb until the Flower of the Other Shore is obtained. Side Quest complete. Reward: one set of Spring Rain Swordplay. Claim reward?
Xiao Hen's eyes lit up. Since the Side Quest was complete, what use was she anymore?
Xiao Hen raised his gun and fired three shots. One struck Ying Caihong in the forehead, one in the chest, and one in the abdomen. She convulsed and collapsed, never to rise again. She was clearly dead beyond doubt.
"Ah, help! Big zombies! They're all big zombies!" Big Gold Tooth's cries for help rang out. Xiao Hen turned, fired several shots, but these terrifying monsters born from the illusion were barely affected by guns. They simply could not be killed.
Wang Kaixuan lunged over and dragged Big Gold Tooth out of a monster's attack. Finding a moment, he shouted at Xiao Hen, "Where's the Flower of the Other Shore? Give it to me! I promised Xiao Ding! I promised her I'd help her find it!"
Xiao Hen flipped his hand and put away the pistol, then drew the Silver Light Sword rewarded by the Shuttle from his Storage Space. With one slash, he split apart a Japanese zombie charging at him, then shattered a skeleton monster with another strike.
Xiao Hen moved swiftly. With a flash, he was already beside Hu Bayi and Shirley Yang. In two or three strokes, he dealt with the zombie monsters surrounding them. "Are you all right?"
Hu Bayi took a breath, then looked solemnly at Xiao Hen. "Hurry and destroy the Flower of the Other Shore. Otherwise, these monsters won't disappear. As long as the illusion covers this place, the monsters will be endless."
"No. Just wait a few more minutes. A few minutes will do!" Xiao Hen shook his head. He then looked toward the towering corpse of an ancient general charging at him and swung his sword, clashing with the general's saber.
"Hm? It actually blocked that!" Xiao Hen continued attacking with difficulty, finally smashing the general's corpse into pieces.
"These monsters are actually getting stronger as time passes!" Xiao Hen's expression changed.
"Shuttle, can I claim the Side Quest reward now?" Xiao Hen asked in his mind. The reward for completing the Side Quest was Spring Rain Swordplay. He did not know whether the swordplay would be imparted directly or whether he would receive a Sword Manual and have to learn it slowly. If it was the latter, they were finished. How could he have time to slowly practice swordsmanship now?
"You may claim it. Do you confirm?"
"After I claim it, will the swordplay be transmitted directly into my mind, or do I have to learn it slowly?" Xiao Hen asked. This was what mattered most.
"It will directly become a stream of information and be transmitted into the Host's mind."
The Shuttle's reply filled Xiao Hen with delight, and he quickly said, "Then claim the reward immediately."
"Reward distributed. Please check it, Host!"
Xiao Hen felt a slight dizziness in his head. Then, a stream of information appeared out of nowhere in his mind. With only a thought, that information transformed into clear memories and was stored in his brain's memory region.
A smile appeared at the corner of Xiao Hen's lips. His sword struck out again as he took the initiative to shoulder the attacks coming at Hu Bayi, Shirley Yang, Wang Kaixuan, Big Gold Tooth, and the others—zombie monsters, skeleton monsters, and Corpse Poison Victims crawling toward them.
The attacks of the sword in his hand gradually changed from brute-force chopping into an exquisite swordplay that was orderly and unbroken. His skill steadily grew more proficient, and his speed in killing monsters continued to rise. As he moved through them, not a single monster could last three moves against Xiao Hen. Even the gigantic creatures with ram-horned skulls had their heads pierced and their bodies cleaved apart by Xiao Hen's sword flashing with sword light.
"This swordplay lets me make better use of my own advantages. It's even raised my Combat Power considerably again." Xiao Hen took a moment to glance at the Character Panel. His Combat Power had risen from thirty-seven to fifty-seven.
A single set of swordplay had raised his Combat Power by a full twenty points. The increase was terrifying.
Xiao Hen carefully felt it out. His physical fitness had not improved. What had improved was only his swordsmanship and combat endurance. Yet combat endurance was also major proof of combat strength in the Kroatia civilization's assessment, while the immense destructive power produced during an outburst could not serve as absolute proof of Combat Power in the Kroatia civilization.
"The swordplay has become more proficient!"
Xiao Hen flicked the Silver Light Sword. Its blade trembled and gave a soft ring. The Silver Light Sword was slender and beautiful, like a pool of autumn water or a willow leaf, transforming into a streak of silver-white light in Xiao Hen's hand.
Amid the flashing light, countless demons and monsters turned to ashes. Xiao Hen lowered his sword and looked around. By then, the various illusory ghosts and monsters had actually grown fewer. Several monsters in the distance stopped advancing, no longer daring to provoke Xiao Hen.
"Th-this swordplay is incredible..." Wang Kaixuan stared wide-eyed at Xiao Hen's figure. Xiao Hen's movements had been far too fast just now. Once he fully displayed his Combat Power, the gap between Xiao Hen and ordinary people was still enormous.
"It really is incredible!" Hu Bayi swallowed with difficulty.
"Ding. Main Quest completed. Story World mission concluded. The Host may leave within one year. Does the Host wish to leave now?"
"No!"
Xiao Hen selected no. The Flower of the Other Shore that he had been holding in his left hand vanished.
"Huh? Where's the Flower of the Other Shore?" Wang Kaixuan had been watching the flower in Xiao Hen's hand all along. He still could not forget the promise he had made to Ding Sitian, so he was the first to notice that it had disappeared.
Rumble...
At that moment, the disappearance of the Flower of the Other Shore caused the entire tomb chamber to shake. The ancient tomb's self-destruction measures had begun to take effect.
"Oh no, the underground palace is collapsing! Quick, everyone be careful! The tomb's self-destruction mechanism has activated. Watch out!" Hu Bayi shouted.
"Move!" Wang Kaixuan grabbed Big Gold Tooth and dragged him forward.
Hu Bayi also grabbed Shirley Yang, dodging the falling rubble overhead.
With a slash, Xiao Hen shattered a falling stone. He then turned toward the coffin. Princess Augu's corpse still lay there. If the underground palace was truly destroyed, her body would certainly be destroyed as well.
"Hey, move! Run for your life!" Hu Bayi looked back at the motionless Xiao Hen and shouted.
"You go. Don't worry about me!" Xiao Hen shouted back. Then he sprang toward the Goddess's Coffin. He knew Hu Bayi and the others could escape safely, but he still had something to do.
Hu Bayi and the others were stunned. What was he trying to do?
"Why worry about him? Let's get out of here!" Wang Kaixuan urged.
"Go!"
Xiao Hen had already reached the goddess's corpse. While swinging his sword to shatter the falling stones, he reached out toward the goddess's body.
Guess the plot...
What was Xiao Hen doing at the end?
Come on, whoever guesses it right has my respect!
Before you continue