Chapter Seventy-Eight: Traversing the Path of Life and Death

An incredibly sharp aura surged through the surroundings, making even Sleepy Bug shiver involuntarily, yet still unable to rouse Zizi from her slumber.

“Damn, looks like it’s time for the ultimate move!” Qin Chuan gritted his teeth, mustered all the strength in his “voice,” and shouted, “Zizi, someone stole your underwear!”

“What?! Who? Who’s got the nerve?!” The effect was instant. With a piercing scream, Zizi snapped awake, her lips pursed and eyes blazing with anger.

At first, Sleepy Bug thought Qin Chuan would wake Zizi with a beating, but he didn’t expect this instead. “Haha, boss, you’re something else. I’m impressed.”

Qin Chuan had indeed considered waking Zizi with force, but looking at her delicate, lovely face, he just couldn’t bring himself to do it.

“You were just under the spell of the Soul-Eater Flower’s hallucinogenic fragrance. Nothing could wake you.” As Zizi took in the scene before her, her face flushed bright red, and her anger quickly found a new target: the Soul-Eater Flowers.

“These wretched Soul-Eater Flowers, I’ll make sure they pay for this!” In a flash, Zizi dashed ahead, her determination fierce and unyielding.

“Geez, what was she dreaming about to get so fired up?” Qin Chuan watched as Zizi charged toward the right side of the passage, sending a flurry of sword petals that shredded the Soul-Eater Flowers in her path.

“Hey, Zizi, wait up! Don’t steal all my kills!” Qin Chuan raised a hand and unleashed a powerful skill toward the left side of the passage.

A flicker of orange light filled the air as dozens of sword shadows rained down, sliding forward for four meters.

“Swish, swish, swish!”

“Argh!”

“Ding! Kill...”

With one move, he cleared a nine-meter stretch of Soul-Eater Flowers, effortless and graceful.

Qin Chuan then blinked to Zizi’s side, snatching a few more kills.

“Ding! Kill...”

“Sorry, Zizi, just weaken them—leave the finishing blow to me.”

“Don’t worry about the left side; I’ve got it.”

Though she didn’t know why Qin Chuan insisted on reaping the final blows, Zizi agreed readily. “Alright.”

So Qin Chuan advanced, slaying as he went. Whenever his ultimate was ready, he’d clear out the left side’s Soul-Eater Flowers in one sweep.

These Soul-Eater Flowers, born of the rainbow poison miasma, could only grow near the corridor and were incapable of free movement. Though they boasted two close-range attack skills, they stood no chance against the party’s relentless assault.

At this moment, Sleepy Bug began to display his own formidable offense, vomiting a large puddle of dark green liquid that instantly solidified the Soul-Eater Flowers. Before their eyes, the flowers withered rapidly.

Qin Chuan didn’t hesitate, finishing them off with a few swift strokes.

Over the course of the nearly one-kilometer Path of Life and Death, Qin Chuan slew roughly a thousand Soul-Eater Flowers; his experience and essence soared at a staggering pace.

Before entering the Path of Life and Death, Qin Chuan had already cleared a wave of elites and undergone one evolution.

Yet, upon reaching the end of the deadly corridor, he leveled up again.

“Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have reached level 22 and gained new skill points.”

“Skill upgrade: Enhancement – Freeze.”

“Ding! Upgrade successful. Congratulations, Host, all second-stage skills have been fully upgraded.”

“Damn, so the second stage only has six levels.”

Qin Chuan hurriedly checked his status panel.

[Host]: Qin Chuan

[Title]: Two-Star Elite (All attributes +10)

[Type]: Mutated Coldsteel Sword (3)

[Rank]: Third Tier, Middle Grade (Sharpness +20%)

[Quality]: Unique (All attributes +15%)

[Level]: 22

[Attributes]

Sharpness: 437 + 240.35 (55%) + 152.95 (35%)

Toughness: 385 + 138.6 (36%)

Speed: 399 + 151.62 (38%)

Evolution Points: 10,000,200 / 26,208,000

Experience: 9,000,000 / 208,000,000

Rage: 90 / 100

Slaughter: 2945 / 5000

[Skills]

Flow Strike: Stage One – Flow Strike Lv.3, Stage Two – Slide Lv.1 (5 meters)

Blink: Stage One – Blink Lv.3, Stage Two – Immunity Lv.2 (0.6 seconds)

Enhance: Stage One – Enhance Lv.3, Stage Two – Freeze Lv.6 (30% slow, 24% freeze chance, 3 sec freeze duration)

Falling Sky Flow Strike: Stage One – Falling Sky Flow Strike Lv.3, Stage Two – Movement Lv.1

“Wow, now this is a decent leveling speed. My sharpness stat is up to 829+.”

“Haha, not bad at all. This feels great.”

Qin Chuan glanced back at the chaotic battlefield and couldn’t help feeling secretly pleased.

“This Path of Life and Death is amazing—it’s practically an express elevator for leveling up!”

At that moment, Zizi sheathed her sword with elegant poise, not a drop of sweat on her brow as she waved her sleeve.

“Qin Chuan, so this is the Path of Life and Death? Feels pretty ordinary to me!”

“You can’t really say that. The Soul-Eater Flowers mainly rely on their hallucinogenic scent. If we hadn’t snapped out of it in time, we’d probably be fertilizer by now.”

Recalling Qin Chuan’s actions, Zizi couldn’t help but praise him, “That’s true, but I think the real reason we made it is because you’re just too strong.”

“Haha, you flatter me, really.”

Qin Chuan hurried to brush off the compliment, then asked, “By the way, what were you imagining just now? Why couldn’t we wake you up?”

“It was… nothing. Ah, this place is rather nice! I’ll go check it out!” At the question, Zizi’s face instantly turned crimson, and she scurried off in a flash.

Qin Chuan was left puzzled. “What’s so embarrassing about it? Women really are mysterious creatures.”

Sleepy Bug’s curiosity was piqued. “Boss, what did you hallucinate about just now?”

“Me? Oh, I saw you transform into a mighty dragon—truly impressive!” Qin Chuan made up a story on the spot, thinking to himself, Good thing I’m quick-witted. I definitely can’t tell him what I really saw.

“Really? Boss, that makes me so happy!”

“Work hard, little brother. Maybe one day you really will become a dragon.”

“Mm, mm!”

Since entering the Illusionary Forest, Sleepy Bug’s confidence had grown noticeably—so much so that even he found it surprising.

“I haven’t slept in ages, but I’m not tired at all. How strange!” Sleepy Bug mused to himself.

Moments later, the rainbow poison miasma began to seep back, hiding the Path of Life and Death as if nothing had happened.

Just then, Zizi’s clear cry rang out from ahead.

Qin Chuan frowned. “Damn, did that girl run into some tough spirit creature? Little brother, let’s hurry over.”

“Right!” Sleepy Bug immediately responded and dashed off, carrying Qin Chuan on his back.

“Ding! Detected Level 23, Third Tier Middle Grade Spirit-Hunting Beast. Quality: Excellent. Three-Star Elite.”

When they were within thirty meters, Qin Chuan heard the system notification.

“Damn, it’s an old foe—what a small world.”

The Spirit-Hunting Beast was a common sight throughout the Spirit Realm, so meeting one in the Illusionary Forest was nothing unusual.

This particular beast had survived in the Illusionary Forest for a long time, and its originally jet-black body was now tinged with green. Its claws, too, were laced with deadly poison.

It was larger than its counterparts outside, and even more agile.

“Little lady, if you obediently submit to me, I’ll spare your life! But resist, and you’ll die with nothing left of you!” The Spirit-Hunting Beast crouched low, its eyes gleaming in excitement as it stared at Zizi, saliva dripping from its maw.