novelraw Chapter 80: Death Thorn Heavenly King City! Sheng's Relic
Chapter 80: Death Thorn Heavenly King City! Sheng's Relic
Each Void Fissure opened a thumb-sized black hole, but these passages were too small. Even Little Spider couldn't pass through, let alone banish an opponent through the Void.
"You idiot, what can such a small hole do?"
The Stitched Demon sneered at this scene, its figure closing in. It was only half a meter away from forcefully killing Lu Yu, and boiling Spirituality swept out.
Before the Morning Star Rank, although a Beast Tamer's physique is strengthened to be far beyond that of an ordinary person, it's still much weaker than an elite-rank demonic beast.
That's why a large part of the theoretical knowledge in tactics class is dedicated to teaching Beast Tamers how to protect themselves in wilderness battles and not to let their pet beasts get too far away.
After all, outside the arena, no one plays by the rules. Surviving by any means necessary is the core philosophy of wilderness combat.
Killing the Beast Tamer is tantamount to severely wounding the pet beast!
As for after the Morning Star Rank, there seems to be a miraculous change.
Swish, swish, swish!
Suddenly, dozens of long needles condensed from Spider Silk shot out from the black holes.They were covered in sharp thorns, like white brambles, piercing out in all directions with Lu Yu at the center. Intertwined with the purple glow from the numerous Void Fissures, they vaguely outlined a mysterious city of the Void, revealing just the tip of the iceberg.
It seemed as if it would shatter the world's barrier in the future, descend upon this realm, and pierce all things!
Combination Skill—Void Death Thorn Citadel!
"How is this possible!?"
The two Stitched Demons' eyes widened in terror. At such a close distance, they had no time to retreat and could only watch themselves charge forward.
Crack! Crack!
The Spider Silk spears and the Stitched Demons rushed towards each other, and the instant they made contact, their hearts were pierced, or their eye sockets were penetrated. They were left suspended in mid-air, like splayed bullfrogs, letting out pained wails.
They couldn't even struggle, or the thorns would tear out more flesh and cause massive bleeding.
A large amount of blood dripped down and was absorbed by the Spider Silk, dyeing it blood-red.
Paired with their bizarre bodies, they looked like two demonic beast specimens in the early stages of creation!
And Little Spider slowly descended from the sky like a taxidermist, preparing to create her own work of art.
"It's over!"
The heavily injured Crab Claw Stitched Demon saw this and turned to flee in terror, but was tripped by a shadow tentacle from the sneaky Little Mouse, who had long been lurking nearby.
Before it could get up, it was covered in Spider Silk and bundled into a Large Cocoon.
"That's what you get for laughing at me, a mouse! Don't you know Sister Spider and I can crush you easily… Oh, wait, I don't think it was you who said that.
Whatever, I'll still kick you!" Little Mouse jumped onto the Large Cocoon and stomped on it fiercely a few times. Then, it looked at the distant Void Citadel with a yearning gaze and muttered to itself, "This Combination Skill is so cool.
I'll have the Cultivator research one for me when we get home. Big Sister is great and all, but this mouse can't stay subordinate forever!"
One pound of Little Mouse, 0.
99 pounds of rebellious spirit.
"Is it… over…"
Xiao Bing heard the wails and instinctively opened his eyes.
He thought he was about to witness Lu Yu's demise, but instead, he saw two Stitched Demons whose blood was being devoured, hanging in the air like dried cured meat.
What shocked him even more was Lu Yu's evaluation:
"It's still lacking…"
He just instantly killed two High-tier Elite Stitched Demons, and he's still not satisfied?
If he had such strength, he wouldn't have had to watch his brothers die one by one before his eyes.
At this thought, Xiao Bing's expression darkened.
In reality, he had misunderstood Lu Yu's meaning.
Theoretically, as long as a skill's Proficiency reached the Proficient-level or higher, it could be fused to create a more powerful Combination Skill.
For example, Xiao Bing's Electric Stomp was a combination of two Mid-tier skills, Electric and Stomp.
It spread the small-area electric damage through the Stomp skill to inflict a paralyzing effect on the enemy, directly turning it into a control skill comparable to a High-tier one.
Little Spider had many skills that had reached Proficient-level, and among them, 【Spider Silk】 and 【Mind's Eye Soul-Controlling Sword】 had even reached Expert-level, but combining these two was quite difficult.
Therefore, Lu Yu set his sights on 【Void's Blessing】.
This skill was used frequently in battle and had smoothly been raised to Proficient-level.
It could open elusive Void Fissures, but its drawback was that the larger the fissure and the greater the distance, the more Spirituality it consumed.
As such, its usage needed to be perfectly calculated, otherwise he would run out of energy halfway through.
Thus, an idea sprouted in Lu Yu's mind. Since a larger opening meant greater consumption, why not just make them small holes?
Maintain the power while shrinking the area and increasing the quantity!
As for killing power, that was even simpler.
As an inanimate object, Spider Silk could be freely transformed into various shapes. The thinner an object, the higher its penetrating power, like a splinter from a disposable chopstick—slender and soft, but easily piercing the skin if one isn't careful, causing excruciating pain.
If it were made a bit larger, the quantity increased, and then covered with spikes, it would directly transform into the top-tier torture device, the Iron Maiden.
The only difference was that one was inverted, while this was everted.
However, after deduction assisted by the Eye of Truth, it became a skill for both offense and defense. Its appearance was like an invisible city filled with steel towers covered in countless spikes!
The massive thorn assault, even with the advantage of surprise, was tremendously powerful, instantly killing two High-tier Elite Stitched Demons.
When Lu Yu said "it's still lacking," he was referring to the fact that with Little Spider's spiritual energy and computational power, opening a large number of Void Fissures simultaneously could only condense them within a half-meter radius. This distance… could only be used as a passive-defensive, damage-reflecting armor.
The Void Death Thorn Citadel… for now, only a small part of it could be condensed. It was a budget, scaled-down version.
Calling it 【Void Death Thorn Shield】 would be more reasonable.
However, with the help of the Eye of Truth, it already possessed the potential to become the prototype of a Profound Meaning Skill.
And a Profound Meaning Skill was a powerful skill formed from several Expert-level Combination Skills or several Perfect-level skills. A top-tier Profound Meaning Skill could even rival a legendary-grade skill.
In the future, as its skill Proficiency increases, more suitable skills like 【Void Ray】 and 【Spirit Puppet Curse Threads】 can be integrated through the Eye of Truth. There is a real hope of constructing a true Death Thorn Heavenly King City made of various silks that traverses the Void!
One blast from its void cannon to annihilate a demonic domain, one collision to crush a world.
After the battle, Lu Yu looked at Xiao Bing, who was sitting paralyzed on the ground. He took out a bottle of healing spray and a bandage and placed them beside him.
The latter's dazed eyes flickered as he said:
"Thank you!"
His voice was hoarse and thick with exhaustion. It seemed that after seeing Lu Yu kill the Stitched Demons, he had lost the will to live.
Lu Yu nodded but didn't offer any words of comfort.
They were all adults, and exploring the wilderness was their own choice.
As such, they had to be prepared for life and death.
This spray medicine was something his parents had left on the motorcycle.
But now that he had 【Life Bubble】, he no longer needed it.
Rather than letting it expire, it was better to give it to someone who needed it.
On the premise that it didn't harm his own interests, he did as he pleased, helping when he felt like it.
Besides, most of the demonic beasts along this path had already been cleared out by adventurers.
It wouldn't be too difficult for the other party to make it back alive. The rest depended on his own will to survive.
Lu Yu got on his motorcycle, adjusted Little Mouse's helmet, and offered a reminder:
"If you keep wallowing in despair, your friend is probably going to bleed out and go into shock."
With that, the motorcycle sped away, dragging several large cocoons.
Xiao Bing was abruptly jolted back to his senses.
Bleeding?
Old Zhang had been turned into meat paste, Wang Yu was shot full of holes like a sieve, and Jiang Hang's head had been smashed.
They couldn't possibly be alive. The only one left was…
"Old Xu!"
Xiao Bing reacted, mustering all his strength to get up.
He took the healing spray and bandage with his remaining hand and staggered over, finally finding the dying Old Xu in a thicket.
His face was pale, and he had fallen into a coma from excessive blood loss.
Panicked, Xiao Bing fumbled to treat the wound. Because the bones in one of his hands were shattered, it took a great deal of effort to bandage it.
"Thank goodness…"
Watching Old Xu's vital signs gradually stabilize, Xiao Bing wept with joy, but amidst the relief, there was also a sense of panic…
If he had died, that would have been one thing. But now, going back alive, he would have to face the families of the other three, face their accusatory and disappointed gazes.
!
Even the thought of that scene nearly shattered his Reason, making him tremble uncontrollably as remorse gnawed at his heart like a venomous snake.
"Wait, I remember now.
My dad told me that my grandfather was once a grand abbot of some top-tier religious order. After losing a power struggle, he went into hiding in Great Abyss City under a new identity.
He was so afraid of being hunted down that he didn't dare use his powers, or even leave behind a legacy."
"But before he died, he told my dad that he was unwilling to leave empty-handed back then, so he secretly took a holy relic.
It's said that it can make up for all regrets and grant wishes. Let me think… where would he hide it…"
Xiao Bing clung to this like a drowning man to a straw, his eyes bloodshot, muttering deliriously:
"I never thought… I really never thought… But it's okay, I can look in my grandfather's coffin.
Once my wish is fulfilled, I'll give it to my benefactor. We can go back to our peaceful lives.
I will! I will definitely bring all of you home…"
………………………
Meanwhile, Lu Yu had no idea that Xiao Bing had become such a 'filial son,' preparing to dig up his ancestor's coffin.
He rode to a secluded spot and parked, then looked at the Large Cocoon containing the Crab Claw Stitched Demon and said:
"Undo it."
Cough, cough…
Little Spider waved her hand, and the Spider Silk disintegrated.
The Crab Claw Stitched Demon lay on the ground, gasping desperately for fresh air. After all, the Limb Grafting ability wasn't omnipotent; it merely forcibly stitched on the limbs of Transcendent Creatures, mimicking the original owner to control them, and its power couldn't be further increased.
As for the kind of ability where you can gain dermal respiration just by tailoring a Frog Skin, that's called the power of infinite evolution.
The moment it caught its breath, it tried to escape, but after just one step, its limbs were pierced by Spider Silk and pinned to the ground.
It wailed in agony:
"Aargh, let… let me go!"
Lu Yu looked down at it and said coolly, "The people you tortured and killed begged just like that, but I didn't see you letting them go. You're not stupid; you know you're going to die.
So I'll give you a chance. I'll ask some questions.
As long as you answer honestly, I can give you a quick death."
The reason he left it alive was because Lu Yu felt that something was off about this group of Stitched Demons' behavior.
According to the past style of the Flesh Wing Demon Thief Group, they basically hit and ran, slippery as eels, which was why they had never been caught and annihilated by the Special Division.
However, not only did these four Stitched Demons go to great trouble to set up a Mist Ritual, but the Mist Raven had also overheard them collecting the hearts and Brain Marrow of Beast Tamers.
It seemed the leader of the thief group wanted to perform some kind of evil ritual.
Could it be that he wanted to advance to an Overlord Rank Stitched Demon?
If that were true, it would indeed become a great disaster.
Anyone who left the city could be attacked by an Overlord Monster.
It would even affect Lu Yu.
Once the other party successfully advanced, he wouldn't be able to venture deep into the wilderness, which meant he wouldn't be able to obtain many materials.
It would indirectly hinder the speed of his strength improvement.
So, Lu Yu asked directly, "Where is your leader?"
"The Dark Swamp…"
After hearing this, Lu Yu watched its slightly shifting eyeballs. Though subtle, it couldn't deceive the super-vision provided by the Eye of Truth.
He sneered:
"Looks like you won't shed a tear until you see the coffin."
He didn't have a pet beast that could detect lies, nor did he want to waste time on it.
He simply waved his hand. Little Spider tore open a Void Fissure, and five Blood-Corroding Insects flew out and landed on the Stitched Demon.
"What is this!? Get off! Stay away from me, aaargh!"
One of the Blood-Corroding Insects landed on its head. Its hideous, lamprey-like maw, filled with rings of sharp teeth, let out a piercing shriek.
Even a fierce and cruel Stitched Demon like itself felt a fear that came from its very soul.
This thing was the Mortal Enemy of all life!
However, the Blood-Corroding Insect paid no heed to its roars.
Its tooth-filled mouth began to work on its eye, a truly gory scene.
In their original world, they were the source of a dark turmoil that could drive all demonic beasts to madness with pain.
Even when the demonic beasts launched a Demonic Tide to attack the human empire, it was only so they could be killed and escape this suffering forever.
Under Lu Yu's deliberate instructions, the Blood-Corroding Insects didn't rush to devour its life force but instead continuously injected a special toxin.
"Aaaaaaargh…"
The intense agony twisted the Stitched Demon's face. Every inch of its flesh began to tremble.
It was a pain that could almost tear the soul apart.
It looked at Lu Yu's indifferent expression and ground out through clenched teeth:
"Bastard, you son of a bitch, kill me if you have the guts, aaaaargh…"
Lu Yu's expression was calm; he had no interest in even refuting these curses.
He waved his hand, signaling the Blood-Corroding Insects to inject more pain toxin.
It was a feeling countless times more painful than a muscle spasm, a sensation of one's own flesh dissolving bit by bit.
No creature of flesh and blood could withstand this kind of pain!
In just one minute, the Stitched Demon could no longer bear the extreme agony and confessed, "Aargh… I'll talk… stop biting… It's… in the Desert Ant Mound Mystic Realm!"
"The Desert Ant Mound Mystic Realm?"
Lu Yu's gaze sharpened. He felt the creature was still lying, so he tortured it for a few more minutes, but it didn't change its story.
If he ruled out the possibility that the creature was just stubborn, then this time it should be the truth.
But…
Why the Desert Ant Mound Mystic Realm?
Although this Mystic Realm was vast, its terrain and frequent sandstorms made it impossible to be a permanent lair.
In other words, he was performing the ritual inside?
If he was preparing to advance, shouldn't he have chosen a safer place?
Right now, a large number of adventurers were approaching the Desert Ant Mound Mystic Realm, and there might even be Morning Star Rank Beast Tamers among them.
Coupled with the frequent attacks, it would be easy to attract the attention of the Special Division, which might even be dispatched to annihilate them.
"No, that's not right!"
Lu Yu suddenly realized. The Special Division was already tied up with the Soul-Snatching Demonic Cloud and the Evil God Cult in the Abandoned Urban Area.
For this period, at least, they wouldn't have the energy to come out and hunt down the 【Flesh Wing Demon Thief Group】.
And the other party choosing the Desert Ant Mound Mystic Realm—could it be related to the earlier Red Fire Ant uprising and the appearance of the Desolate Strength Ant? Did they want to seize the limbs of a Primordial Variant Species, graft them on, and then advance?
Moreover, Lu Yu remembered something else.
When he went to destroy the Mist Ritual earlier, he had found some fresh severed limbs and remains. This meant that the people who had set out earlier had already been killed.
The information about the Desolate Strength Ant was announced at exactly one o'clock. Even with connections, the earliest one could get it was twelve-thirty, a maximum of a half-hour information gap.
Otherwise, it would tarnish the reputation of the Dark Moon Chamber of Commerce.
So how did these Stitched Demons manage to set up an ambush in advance on the necessary route from Great Abyss City to the Desert Ant Mound Mystic Realm?
From the mystical mist device, it was clear they had made ample preparations.
Avoid the strong, ambush the weak, and collect the hearts and Brain Marrow of Beast Tamers.
If it weren't for running into Lu Yu, who had a Mist Raven and the Eye of Truth, their cover probably wouldn't have been blown.
Where did they get their information?
Thinking of this, Lu Yu suddenly had a flash of inspiration and said abruptly:
"You were the ones who released the information about the Desolate Strength Ant?"
The Stitched Demon's expression suddenly froze. It looked at Lu Yu with astonishment, as if looking at a monster, not expecting him to have guessed that.
Even without it speaking, Lu Yu already had his answer.
That 'lucky person' who sold the information had likely encountered a grand show directed by the 【Flesh Wing Demon Thief Group】, which allowed them to see the Desolate Strength Ant, making them think they had discovered a Primordial Variant Species, before it suddenly disappeared again.
In the end, unable to find it, they could only sell the information.
But the video of the Desolate Strength Ant had also been authenticated, confirming it wasn't edited or photoshopped, and the Strength Ring skill couldn't be fake.
In other words, the leader of the thief group had obtained a Desolate Strength Ant?
Lu Yu continued to ask, "What exactly is your leader's goal? And what kind of ritual is it?"
"It's… it's…"
It seemed to have lost all its strength after the intense torture. Its voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz.
Lu Yu moved slightly closer.
"It's your damn funeral! When I was killing people, you were just a snot-nosed kid who hadn't even been weaned.
What the hell do you think you are…"
Seeing Lu Yu approach, the flesh of the previously 'weak' Stitched Demon suddenly began to melt like a candle. Countless maggot-like blood threads surged out from it, enveloping Lu Yu as it roared:
"Even in death, I'll drag you down with me!"
Knowing that death was certain, the hatred in its heart had long since swelled to the extreme.
Especially this guy before it—handsome, accompanied by a powerful pet beast, probably a direct descendant of some great family or a Second-generation Beast Tamer. Born with a golden key, his life had been smooth sailing.
This made it burn with insane jealousy.
Why do you guys get all the good things?
It remembered working at the inn back then.
Although life was decent, when it saw the innkeeper's fashionably dressed daughter who could live a comfortable and glamorous life without working, it was not satisfied. It only felt that everyone was making things difficult for it.
Why did it have to work so hard?
Why couldn't the daughter be married to it, so it could inherit the entire inn?
It had completely forgotten that it was the kind innkeeper who had taken it in when it was homeless, given it a job, sponsored its studies, and encouraged it to work hard, so that once it saved enough money, it could buy a pet beast and become a Beast Tamer.
It was driven mad by jealousy, which turned into resentment after its confession was rejected.
So one night, its resentment erupted. It drugged the innkeeper's family, raped and strangled his daughter in front of him, and then beat everyone to death with a shovel.
Unfortunately, before it could get far, it was caught and sent to prison.
It was originally sentenced to death, but it unexpectedly encountered the leader of the 【Flesh Wing Demon Thief Group】.
He led them to successfully break out of prison, escape into the wilderness, and transformed them into Stitched Demons, granting them powerful transcendent abilities.
It had never felt a shred of remorse; instead, it became infatuated with the pleasure of killing.
So what if you're of noble birth?
You'll still die at my hands all the same!
No one could piss it off and get away with it, and no one could stop the leader's plan!
As long as the leader succeeded, Great Abyss City, and even the entire Borderlands, would become a living hell!
What a beautiful sight that would be. It's just a shame I won't get to see it!
Thinking this, the Stitched Demon laughed maniacally, eager to see the panic and terror on the face of a favored son of heaven like Lu Yu.
However, to its shock, Lu Yu's expression remained calm. There was even a flicker of something called boredom in his eyes, as if he were watching an ant hop around:
"What a waste of time!"
As his voice fell, the threads pierced through Lu Yu's body, but absorbed no flesh and blood.
It was an illusion!
The real Lu Yu was still standing in his original spot, having never approached, watching it calmly.
But at this moment, the Stitched Demon could no longer tell if the figure before it was real or fake.
It only felt a chilling cold run through its body.
What kind of monster was this guy, to have seen through all its thoughts from the very beginning?
It was just like a… heart-manipulating…
Demon!
Before it could beg for mercy, the Blood-Corroding Insects began feeding once more.
This time, they went all out, making it truly understand what it meant to wish for death.
"Aaaaaaargh…"
Just as its soul was about to collapse, it was injected with a curse by hypnotic silk threads, falling into a dream where a new round of torture began, an endless cycle.
Finally, its soul couldn't take it anymore and completely broke down, becoming Provisions to strengthen the Dream Prison.
After communicating with Little Spider, Lu Yu learned that although they only obtained fragmented memories, this creature really didn't know many inside details.
The only thing that could be confirmed was that the Desolate Ant Mound was a trap, and the Stitched Demons' mission was to collect as many hearts and Brain Marrows from Beast Tamers as possible to be used as materials for the ritual.
If successful, the leader of the 【Flesh Wing Demon Thief Group】 would obtain unparalleled power.
This was the idea in this Stitched Demon's head, though it was unclear if it was just bragging.
However, it was certain that the Desolate Strength Ant was real, and it had appeared beside the thief group's leader.
It was suspected to have been subdued.
The reason it was 'suspected' was because after abandoning one's human identity and transforming into a demonic beast, the Beast Taming Space would also collapse, making it impossible to contract a pet beast like a Beast Tamer.
Of course, certain evil contract methods couldn't be ruled out.
Thus, a problem lay before Lu Yu.
If he went to the Desert Ant Mound Mystic Realm, he would have to face a Stitched Demon leader infinitely close to Morning Star Rank and a High-tier Elite Primordial Variant Species.
With his current strength, he had no chance other than to flee.
Going there would only be pointlessly dangerous.
Thinking this, Lu Yu prepared to turn back, report the information directly to the Special Division, and then warn all Beast Tamers So he directly extracted the flesh and blood of these Stitched Demons.
However, after seeing the information, he was stunned and muttered thoughtfully:
"It seems… it's not entirely without a chance…"