Chapter 111: Advancing into the Seven-Star Region

Qin Chuan began his erratic, twitch-like maneuvers, leaving the Five-Colored Purple Spirit Beast howling in frustration.

"Left. No, wait, right."
"Clang!"
"Ah! You tricked me again!"
"I told you it was on the right; it’s not my fault your reaction time is so slow."

The Five-Colored Purple Spirit Beast felt helpless. It clearly saw Qin Chuan on the left, only for him to flicker to the right in an instant. It was truly impossible to guard against. While the beast excelled at defensive counterattacks, it found itself powerless before Qin Chuan, constantly being struck in inexplicable ways, suffering the stinging, sharp sensation of penetration to the fullest.

Qin Chuan continued his assault unhurriedly, steadily building up his rage meter. Despite the beast’s high toughness, Qin Chuan feared nothing of the sort; with his superior speed, he could easily make it doubt its own existence. After dozens of sword strikes, both sides grew heated. The beast became increasingly irritable, its copper-bell-like eyes brimming with fury. Because of the beast’s high toughness and resistance, Qin Chuan was surprised to find he hadn't triggered a freeze effect.

"This guy's resistance is truly monstrous."

Although the beast hadn't suffered significant damage yet, the stinging pain of the strikes was becoming unbearable. More importantly, it couldn't land a single hit on Qin Chuan. With its speed of over 500, it might have been fine against Ents, but it was nowhere near enough to touch Qin Chuan.

At that moment, having maxed out his rage meter, Qin Chuan shifted positions and unleashed a strike.

"Ding! Critical hit triggered. Damage increased by 150% with knockback effect."
"Squelch!"
"Ah! How?!"

With a sharpness value exceeding 1770, the blade tore through the beast’s defense, leaving a fresh, gaping wound on its back.

"Congratulations on getting a taste of the lash."

As the beast flew backward, its eyes filled with shock: "I am invincible—how could I have been injured?"

Relying on his speed, Qin Chuan didn't even need to use Blink to pursue; he simply continued his basic attacks to build rage.

"Bang!"

The Five-Colored Purple Spirit Beast landed in a most undignified posture, face-planting into the mud and filling its mouth with dirt. Qin Chuan chuckled mockingly, "I didn't realize you had such peculiar tastes."

"Ptooey! Ptooey! Ptooey!"

The beast scrambled to its feet, spitting out mud, and snarled, "I’m angry now, and the consequences will be severe!"

Qin Chuan didn't press the attack; he knew he had to take his time to finish off this creature. "Is that so? How severe?"

"Exactly this severe! Die!"

"Purple Spirit Poison Miasma!"

The enraged beast unleashed its ultimate move. Instantly, a thick, purple toxic mist filled a ten-meter radius.

"Ding! Sword body integrity damaged by 7%."

It was clear the toxicity of the mist had increased. Hearing the system prompt, Qin Chuan’s dragon patterns flared again, carving out a two-meter safe zone.

"Ding! Sword body repaired."

Meanwhile, the beast bared its teeth, crouched slightly, and threw its arms wide. "Purple Spirit’s Wrath!" Six purple shields roared outward in all directions. Obscured by the mist, Qin Chuan only spotted the shields flying toward him when they were within two meters.

"Seriously? You actually snuck in a crowd-control skill? You’re quite the patient one."

Though the distance was only two meters, it was more than enough for Qin Chuan; he used Blink to bypass them without exception. The beast raised its massive axe high, chanting, "See how I chop you to death, Axe-Linked..."

It froze mid-sentence, swallowing the final word. Qin Chuan had already blinked to its side, where everything was clearly visible within the two-meter space.

The beast was stunned again. "Ah! How are you completely fine, and how did you get over here?"

"Yes, isn't it surprising? Come, let's keep tasting that stinging sensation."

At this point, Qin Chuan had the battle in the bag. He only needed a few more critical hits to finish off the incredibly tough beast.

"Ah! It hurts so much!"
"Big brother, can you stop chasing me?"
"No."
"Big brother, I’ll let you pass! I won’t stop you anymore. Just let me go!"
"Not interested."

...

From within the purple mist, the wretched screams of the Five-Colored Purple Spirit Beast echoed incessantly. Meanwhile, the Sleepy-Bug’s eyes lit up; it darted forward and began frantically inhaling the toxic mist. Within seconds, it had sucked the mist clean and scurried back, acting as cunning as ever.

Under constant pursuit, the beast suffered several more critical hits and completely lost the courage to resist. With more wounds marring its back, it howled in agony. Qin Chuan didn't stop, patiently continuing his basic attacks. The outcome was decided; it was only a matter of time. Zi Zi and the Sleepy-Bug watched from the sidelines with the satisfied gaze of victors.

After a "strenuous" chase, Qin Chuan claimed the head of the Five-Colored Purple Spirit Beast.

"Ding! Killed Level 29 Five-Colored Purple Spirit Beast. Gained 315,000 EXP. Bonus 100% EXP for cross-level kill. Congratulations, Host gained 630,000 EXP."
"Ding! Discovered Tough-Soul Bead. Increases toughness by 20%."
"Ding! Discovered Five-Colored Purple Poison Bead."
"Ding! Discovered Purple Spirit Fluid. Grants immunity to Purple Spirit Poison Miasma."

True to its nature, the beast dropped a triple set of loot.

"Ding! Devour successful. Gained 50,000 Evolution Points."
"Ding! Devoured Tough-Soul Bead successfully. Toughness increased by 20%."
"Ding! Devoured Purple Spirit Fluid successfully. Resistance to Purple Spirit Poison Miasma increased by 100%."

After devouring the bead, Qin Chuan’s toughness shot past 800+, finally no longer a liability.

A short while later, the three thieves entered the Seven-Star Zone. The trees and brush here were sparse, resembling the Deer-Hunting Plains. Seeing this, the Sleepy-Bug couldn't help but say, "Big brother, this place is strange. It doesn't look like the Illusionary Jungle at all!"

Qin Chuan replied calmly, "Indeed. Starting from the Four-Star Zone, the Illusionary Jungle has been changing."

"Big brother, I wonder what the Nine-Star Zone will be like? To think the treasure is hidden there."

"Hard to say. We'll know when we get there."

"Mhm."

The three moved forward aimlessly until they suddenly heard the sounds of battle from behind a distant ridge—the clamor of two armies clashing. Qin Chuan was curious. "No way. When did the spirits in the Illusionary Jungle become so organized?"

Zi Zi frowned as well, whispering, "It doesn't sound like beings from the higher planes fighting, either."

"True. Let's go take a look."

"Agreed."