Chapter Seventy-Two: The Seasoned Elites
Whoosh!
A black longsword leapt into the fray, instantly drawing the attention of both sides in the battle.
One of the Poison-tailed Scorpions immediately became vigilant, shouting in a harsh voice, “Who goes there?! What do you want?”
In the Illusory Forest, stealing kills was a common occurrence, so the Poison-tailed Scorpion naturally assumed at first glance that Qin Chuan intended to snatch their prey. Its long tail was already aimed at him, ready to strike at the slightest hint of trouble.
But Qin Chuan spoke with unhurried composure, “You all seem to be having a hard time. I thought I’d help you end this fight a bit sooner.”
The Poison-tailed Scorpion glanced up and down at the blade in Qin Chuan’s hand, suspicion flickering in its eyes. “You think we’ll believe you’re here to help? I’m warning you, get lost now! Or I’ll kill you where you stand!”
The other two Poison-tailed Scorpions added menacingly, “Yeah, you and your broken black sword, get out of our sight!”
Had they not already been besieging the Venom-bellied Serpent, the three scorpions would likely have attacked Qin Chuan outright. As it was, they only tried to drive him away to avoid any unforeseen complications.
Meanwhile, the Venom-bellied Serpent’s sinister eyes flickered as it searched for a chance to escape.
“I think you misunderstood me,” Qin Chuan said with a faint smile, “I said I’d help you end the battle sooner, but I never said I’d help you against the Venom-bellied Serpent. I meant I’d send you all to the next world together!”
A sharp hum rang out from Qin Chuan’s sword, its blade emitting a soft orange glow.
“Hiss! An orange-grade spirit weapon?!”
For a moment, both the Poison-tailed Scorpions and the Venom-bellied Serpent were stunned.
Since when had such a formidable black longsword appeared in the Illusory Forest?
Orange signified honor and, more importantly, great power. If Qin Chuan wielded a violet-grade spirit weapon, they might not have been so afraid—perhaps even covetous. But the appearance of an orange-grade weapon struck terror into their hearts.
So...
“Guys, this one’s too tough! Run for it!” The three Poison-tailed Scorpions abandoned even the thought of the Venom-bellied Serpent, scrambling to escape in a panic.
Qin Chuan launched a flowing strike, then laughed heartily, “You’re quick to run, I’ll give you that. But do you really think you can get away?”
A sharp whistling—
A muffled thud—
A crisp chime: “Ding! Killed level 21, third-tier, lower-grade mutant Poison-tailed Scorpion. Gained 45,000 experience. Over-leveled kill bonus: 100% extra experience. Congratulations, host has received 90,000 experience.”
...
To the outside observer, it seemed as if Qin Chuan hadn’t even moved. In an instant, he had struck three times, each blow deadly.
“Haha, high sharpness is such a delight—one strike, one kill, so effortless.”
By now, the Venom-bellied Serpent was so terrified it nearly lost control of its body, wriggling frantically into the undergrowth.
“Hey, little snake, weren’t you injured? How are you running so fast?”
Hearing Qin Chuan’s voice, the Venom-bellied Serpent wriggled even faster, not daring to stop for a moment.
But no matter how it fled, it could not escape the range of Qin Chuan’s attacks.
Another sharp whistle—
Another muffled thud—
A crisp chime: “Ding! Killed level 21, third-tier, lower-grade mutant Venom-bellied Serpent. Gained 45,000 experience. Over-leveled kill bonus: 100% extra experience. Congratulations, host has received 90,000 experience.”
“Ding! Congratulations, host has obtained the Two-Star Elite title. All attributes increased by 10 points.”
Only now did Qin Chuan realize the function of such titles, and he could not help but sigh, “Ah, so you can steal titles from others—that explains why those three scorpions eyed me so greedily.”
“Yes, yes, this is a new approach. I’ll have to explore it further when I get the chance.”
Muttering to himself, Qin Chuan swept the battlefield, gaining 32,000 evolution points.
“Haha, not bad! Each one’s worth about 8,000, almost as much as a lord-level foe.”
With these four kills, Qin Chuan netted 360,000 experience—a very satisfying haul.
“Looks like leveling up here won’t be so difficult after all. Excellent, excellent.”
Just then, the Sleepy Bug reappeared, “Congratulations, boss, on your first victorious battle!”
“Haha, that was nothing.”
Now that Qin Chuan had discovered these experience-rich elites, he certainly wasn’t going to let them slip away.
“Come on, let’s sweep the area for more elites.”
“Mm-hmm.”
In the Illusory Forest, any spirit creature that could attain elite status was a real menace. Besides the native insects, snakes, and beasts, there were also outsiders who had wandered in from other lands.
As they ventured deeper, Qin Chuan gradually encountered more and more bleached bones, some of them still stained with fresh blood.
The Sleepy Bug’s adorable eyes darted about warily as it swallowed nervously.
“Boss, these corpses have been picked clean—it looks like they died only recently.”
Qin Chuan examined the remains carefully before quickly reaching a conclusion.
“Yes, these spirit creatures must have come from the heart of the Plains of Contention.”
“They thought escaping to the Illusory Forest would let them survive a little longer.”
“Unfortunately, they underestimated the dangers here—and lacked the strength to survive. Their deaths are hardly surprising.”
The Sleepy Bug nodded repeatedly, “Mm-hmm. It really is dangerous in here. If I weren’t with you, boss, I’d never have dared come in.”
Qin Chuan chuckled, “Don’t sell yourself short, little brother. Who knows? Maybe one day you’ll be so fearsome that all spirit creatures will tremble at your name.”
A spark of excitement flashed in the Sleepy Bug’s big, innocent eyes. He too longed to fight as boldly as Qin Chuan.
“Mm-hmm, boss.”
Suddenly, a thick poisonous miasma rose in the Illusory Forest, making it hard to see more than five meters ahead. The air became thick with a pungent, bloody scent.
“Boss, the poison fog is rising.”
“Yes, stay close and be careful.”
“Alright, boss.”
Such a phenomenon was a sign that a treasure had appeared in the Illusory Forest—though more often than not, it was something extremely poisonous. Even so, these treasures were coveted by all the spirit creatures in the forest.
A moment later, a jade-green pearl slowly rose from a swamp, casting dazzling emerald light that shone brilliantly through the mist.
“Aha! The Mother of Green Poison.”
“That must be mine!”
...
Suddenly, countless pairs of emerald eyes began to flicker through the undergrowth, all heading toward the same destination.
The Sleepy Bug’s sensitive nose twitched.
“Boss, I can smell the Mother of Green Poison.”
Qin Chuan heard rustling noises in the mist and couldn’t help but smile.
“Good, let’s go snatch it.”
“Mm-hmm!”
The Sleepy Bug’s eyes were sparkling with excitement—if he could refine the Mother of Green Poison, his mastery over toxins would reach a new height.
As they drew closer, the mist began to thin.
By the time sword and bug arrived, the contest for the treasure was already underway in the swamp.
“Filthy worm, hand over the Mother of Green Poison! It’s mine!”
“Rotten toad, in your dreams!”
A brilliantly hued Poison-spined Worm had been lucky enough to be nearby and was the first to snatch up the pearl. Just as it was about to flee, it ran straight into a Poison Toad.
Next, a three-meter-long Iron-armored Centipede crawled onto the scene, its voice cold and menacing, “None of you will have it—the Mother of Green Poison belongs to me!”
“You’re wrong. The Mother of Green Poison should be mine!”
At that moment, a Jade Serpent arrived as well, its voice smooth and sinister.
“Enough! It’s mine!”
“No, it’s mine!”
The Sleepy Bug grew a little anxious, “Boss, they’re about to fight—should we make a move?”
Qin Chuan, however, remained calm and spoke softly, “No rush, little brother. Let’s wait. With me here, that Mother of Green Poison will be yours for sure.”
“Mm-hmm. Boss, are you planning to farm experience again?”
“Haha, what do you think?”