Shu Laiyun's speed was extremely fast.
In almost the blink of an eye, his figure had vanished from everyone's sight.
They all knew that Shu Laiyun must have used 【Ground-Shrinking】 to slip away silently. Even Li Zhuang, who had been standing right beside him, didn't notice immediately.
However, Zhao Lin, who had been keeping a close eye on him, saw it.
He frowned slightly.
Hmm?
What's going on?
Why is Shu Laiyun running?
Right at that moment, the specter before them also vanished.
This...
Zhao Lin thought of something, and his eyes lit up.
Could the specter be chasing after Shu Laiyun?
Excellent!
Once he snapped out of it, he hurriedly shouted, “The specter and Shu Laiyun are both gone!”
The others had only just noticed the specter's disappearance. They had assumed Zhao Lin had somehow broken the specter's intimidation tactic, causing it to leave.
But what was up with Shu Laiyun?
Everyone turned around one after another to check the situation.
Especially Li Zhuang. He was in a partnership with Shu Laiyun. If something happened to him, then...
“He really is gone!”
Seeing that everyone's backs were turned to him, Zhao Lin immediately extracted some skin fragments from under his fingernails. He then bit his finger slightly to squeeze out two drops of blood.
He silently channeled his energy.
He began to cast a curse art related to bad luck, which was unique to him.
This kind of curse art didn't actually have any major effect.
After all, with only a few skin flakes, he couldn't cast any powerful curse.
It could only make someone stumble slightly while walking, without even causing them to fall.
Or perhaps choke slightly while drinking water.
Or choke a bit while eating.
They were all extremely minor mishaps that could be easily recovered from.
Rather than bad luck, it was more like a tiny bit of misfortune.
But what if such a minor misfortune occurred at a highly critical moment?
For example, in the heat of a life-or-death battle, suddenly tripping over one's own feet.
Or perhaps suddenly hiccuping during a crucial clash, revealing a tiny opening.
“Haha...”
A simple curse art only required a very brief casting process.
In just two seconds, the curse was complete!
With a soft chuckle, he casually swept his hand, wiping away all traces of his spellcasting.
At the same time...
Shu Laiyun, who was fleeing frantically using 【Ground-Shrinking】, suddenly lost his breath for some reason.
“Cough, cough, cough...”
He began to cough uncontrollably.
This coughing fit came and went quickly, but as he tried to refocus on his escape, he found that the minor interruption had caused his 【Ground-Shrinking】 to falter slightly.
In truth, it was only a momentary pause.
Under normal circumstances, such a minor slip-up wouldn't have caused any issues. But now, things were different.
Because of this split-second delay, he suddenly realized he didn't need to run anymore.
For his neck had already been gripped tightly by a pair of hands as cold as ice.
Realizing he had been caught by the specter, Shu Laiyun's eyes widened in horror.
He tried to struggle, but the hand slammed him ruthlessly onto the ground.
With a loud thud...
Shu Laiyun instantly felt a wave of agonizing pain wash over his entire body. He could have sworn he heard the sound of his own bones shattering.
At this moment, it was exactly four o'clock in the morning.
Zuo Lin'an sensed a vague connection, and his subconscious was urging him to act.
This time, he didn't capture Shu Laiyun to take him away. Instead, he executed the rule right on the spot.
A shrill, agonizing scream echoed through the narrow, long mine shaft.
Whether it was Zhao Lin and the others up ahead, or Su Menglan, who was trailing behind them by following the footprints, they all heard Shu Laiyun's horrific scream.
Hearing the sound, Zhao Lin only felt a sense of immense satisfaction.
Serves you right, you bastard, for stealing my specter item!
It was also because of him that the two empty curse seeds in his hands had remained unplanted for so long.
He suddenly spoke up.
“Everyone, don't just stand there! The specter is behind us. It has attacked Shu Laiyun and is occupied for now. Let's get out of here while we can!”
Everyone quickly snapped out of their daze.
“Yes, yes, let's go, quick!”
Before long, everyone had run a great distance. Even Li Zhuang had absolutely no intention of turning back to save him.
Even though he had previously relied on Shu Laiyun to find a way out.
A few minutes passed.
Zuo Lin'an sheathed his knife and slowly stood up.
The reason this hunt had gone so smoothly was actually because Shu Laiyun hadn't used any specter items or talents just now.
He was quite pitiful, in a way.
His personal strength was formidable, and to some extent, his luck could even be described as heaven-defying.
After all, he had devoured the Rat Immortal, obtaining many abilities and secret techniques. He had even managed to remain free for many years despite being hunted by countless people.
Yet now, because he lacked a suitable talent and had no usable specter items, he had died such a miserable death in a mere Two-Star difficulty dungeon.
Furthermore, with his death, the specter item 【kerosene lamp】 he had just acquired would also vanish along with him.
Zuo Lin'an raised his head and glanced back down the mine shaft.
To his surprise, upon hearing the scream, Su Menglan hadn't retreated. Instead, he continued to advance.
And now, he had already arrived nearby.
He just so happened to witness the bloody scene here.
As well as the blood-drenched specter, Zuo Lin'an, who had not yet departed.
Su Menglan instinctively took a step back.
But remembering his talent, he stood his ground firmly.
Seeing him, Zuo Lin'an suddenly felt a playful urge and took a slow step toward him.
Seeing this, Su Menglan's breathing faltered slightly, but he still didn't run.
He remained standing in place.
Zuo Lin'an continued forward, closing the distance step by step.
Those crimson eyes stared dead into Su Menglan's.
It was as if they could pierce through his eyes and look into the deepest depths of his soul.
Su Menglan's breathing grew increasingly rapid. Just as the two were about to make contact, the specter's figure suddenly vanished in an instant.
The tense, suffocating atmosphere around them instantly dissolved.
The bone-chilling cold vanished along with it.
Su Menglan let out a breath and slowly released his clenched fists.
Only after confirming that the specter had truly departed did he continue forward.
However, just as he was about to bypass the bloody scene, he suddenly realized that the dead person seemed to be...
“Shu Laiyun?”
Recognizing the man's identity, he froze for a moment.
Then, he let out a soft chuckle.
“So it was you...”
Although Su Menglan didn't know if he would survive and clear the dungeon this time,
Shu Laiyun's death was indeed something to be happy about.
After all, Liu Fei had often nagged him in the past, saying she wanted to kill this Shu Laiyun with her own hands.
“In any case, this can be considered fulfilling a small wish of Fei'er's.”
He murmured to himself before departing.
Su Menglan currently had no means of determining the correct direction, so he could only follow the footprints behind Zhao Lin's group.
If he lost them along the way...
He would inevitably end up lost in this complex underground labyrinth.
As for Li Zhuang, losing Shu Laiyun was equivalent to losing a major source of assistance.
Now, he had no choice but to follow Zhao Lin.
This also allowed Zhao Lin to smoothly find an opportunity, finally managing to plant another curse seed.
Rate on N.U.
