Chapter 28: Terror
A large number of bubbles surged up from the pool. Su Xiao stared intently at the water, instinctively stepping back two paces.
The entire main offering hall was now shrouded within a barrier, becoming a cage. Su Xiao scanned his surroundings; escaping wouldn’t be easy, and the thing in the pool wouldn’t give him time to flee.
With a splash, the pale green pool water overflowed, spreading to Su Xiao’s feet. He vaguely saw something floating upward from beneath the surface.
A Counter Shield appeared beside Su Xiao, and at the same time, Cyan Steel Shadow energy enveloped the Dragon-Slaying Flash. The situation was simple: in this room turned prison, only one of them—him or the creature in the pool—would survive.
Dark green long hair gradually emerged from the water, followed by a stunningly beautiful woman raising her head from the pool.
Through the pale green water, it was visible that the woman was naked, her long dark green hair drifting with the rippling pool.
The woman glanced at Su Xiao and smiled at him. She climbed out at the edge of the pool, completely unconcerned that her curvaceous body was exposed to Su Xiao’s view.
“Do I look good?”
The woman winked at Su Xiao, sitting cross-legged at the pool’s edge, only her private areas concealed by her legs.
A red light flickered in Su Xiao’s eyes. He lifted one foot and began walking toward the woman.
“You must be tired from the journey. Come here, let me show you the ultimate pleasure.”
At the woman’s call, Su Xiao slowly approached her, the red light in his eyes growing more pronounced.
When Su Xiao stood before the woman, she looked at the blade in his hand.
“Put it down. It’s too obstructive, and it might hurt me. Would you bear to harm the woman beneath you?”
As she spoke, her fingernails lengthened slightly.
Swish~
The long blade swept through, slashing open most of the woman’s throat. The red light in Su Xiao’s eyes quickly faded. He stomped the ground and leaped backward. Thanks to the effect of ‘Mind Blade,’ he had not been charmed by this woman.
“Why not let me devour you in peace? Why struggle? Your actions will only make your death more agonizing.”
The woman smiled, the wound on her neck rapidly healing. There was no blood in the wound at all.
Although no blood seeped from the wound, the Cyan Steel Shadow energy invaded her body, causing the smile on the woman’s face to gradually disappear.
“You dare to erode me with energy? Is this your choice, mortal?”
As the Cyan Steel Shadow energy invaded the woman’s body, she began to change. Her fair skin turned black, and her entire body started to swell.
In an instant, the woman’s originally delicate body expanded to its limit, becoming a fleshy ball four meters in diameter.
From the moment this woman appeared, Su Xiao had only sensed malice—thick, overwhelming malice.
The fleshy ball rolled, splashing into the pool with a plop, and slowly sank to the bottom.
Su Xiao stood by the pool, noticing that the pale green water was decreasing. Realizing this, he immediately tossed an Alchemy Bomb into the pool.
Stepping back a few paces, Su Xiao detonated the Alchemy Bomb.
Boom!
Pale green water splashed everywhere, the pool’s edge cracked and scarred, and the water inside began to burn.
As it burned, the water rapidly diminished. Before long, the flames died out, and the pool was dry.
An unknown creature stood at the bottom of the pool. This monster had no muscles or skin—it was a skeleton. Upon closer inspection, although it lacked muscles and skin, its bones contained internal organs, and its skull held eyeballs, a brain, and other tissues. The monster’s bones were wrapped in a thin membrane, as if its flesh had been stripped away while it was still alive.
As for where the monster’s flesh had gone, the answer lay on its weapon. The monster held a peculiar weapon, seemingly the leg bone of some animal, wrapped in its own fresh, bloody flesh.
Holding this strange weapon was like gripping a skinned beast’s thigh.
Taking advantage of the monster’s stillness at the pool’s bottom, Su Xiao immediately used the Apostle’s Eye to probe its information.
[Comparing intelligence attributes... Comparison complete. Our intelligence is 0.923 times the enemy’s. Obtained 71% of enemy data.]
Data as follows:
Name: Orphan of Resentment · Hughes (Life Assimilation Degree 97%)
Category: Resentment Creature · Lord-Class Being!
Health: 100%
Mana: —
Strength: 70
Agility: 69
Endurance: ??
Intelligence: 65
Charm: 8 (Normal state 65)
Skill 1: Source of Resentment (Passive)
Skill 2: High-Strength Skeleton (Passive) — Due to prolonged immersion in the Eternal Life Pool, Hughes’s skeleton is extremely tough. Defense +25.
Skill 3: Life Assimilation (Active) — Can increase ‘Life Assimilation Degree’ and restore a large amount of health by devouring biological flesh. When ‘Life Assimilation Degree’ reaches 100%, it will evolve into its complete form.
Skill 4: Life Ladder (Passive)
Skill 5: ???
Skill 6: Soul Infection (Aura) — Can erode the souls of all living beings within 30 meters, dealing 5% of the enemy’s maximum health as true damage per minute.
Skill 7: Eternal One (Passive)
After seeing the data for Orphan of Resentment · Hughes, Su Xiao’s mouth twitched.
“Damn...”
Su Xiao cursed under his breath. He rarely lost his composure like this, but the enemy he faced this time was too powerful. Not to mention the astonishing attributes and the ‘???’ for Endurance, just the pile of skills, all at least LV.20, was enough to give him a hard time.
Moreover, the only LV.20 ability was an aura type. Even if this big boss stood next to Su Xiao doing nothing, if Su Xiao didn’t drink a recovery potion, he could last at most over twenty minutes before dying.
“Hoo~”
Hughes below the pool exhaled a breath of cold air. The ‘inner-curved blade’ covered in muscle tissue spun a few times in his hand, as if testing its feel. He then slammed the muscle blade against the pool’s bottom.
That’s right, slammed. This muscle blade had no edge; it was a blunt weapon.
Boom!
The entire main offering hall shook, and dust fell from the ceiling.
With a whoosh, Orphan of Resentment · Hughes leaped out of the pool, landing not far from Su Xiao.
“Mortal, do you know what you’ve done? The scum of the Magic Association and the Holy Church had to compromise with me, yet you dare to interrupt my evolution. I was just one step away from becoming a god.”
Orphan of Resentment · Hughes’s eyeballs, unprotected by eyelids, were especially eerie, the whole eyeball embedded in the eye socket.
When Orphan of Resentment · Hughes stood before Su Xiao, Su Xiao noticed the creature was quite tall, at least three meters or more.
“Mortal, I’m speaking to you. Leave your last words.”
Orphan of Resentment · Hughes pointed the muscle blade at Su Xiao.
“That used to be my line, but saying it now isn’t too far off. As for last words...”
Su Xiao took out a cigarette, lit it, and took a deep drag. This might be his last cigarette.
“No last words. If you’ve got the skill, kill me.”
Su Xiao dropped the cigarette from his hand, his gaze turning exceptionally sharp.
“Boring last words.”
Without any visible movement, Orphan of Resentment · Hughes suddenly vanished from his spot.
Boom! The sound of an air blast came. The gust from Hughes’s charge stirred Su Xiao’s black hair. By the time Su Xiao caught sight of Hughes’s figure, the muscle blade in his hand was already swinging down toward him.