Chapter 83: Complete the mission with great difficulty

It lunged forward, even at the risk of deepening its wound, pushing Chu Hengkong forward, intent on pinning him to the cliff face. The claws' restraint was incredibly tough and unyielding, and Chu Hengkong was momentarily unable to break free. He simply used a tangle of forces to shift his center of gravity downward, and with his right hand, he thrust the rock blade forward, intending to sever the Jade Fox's claws.

At this moment, another ball flew over, with the word "Xu" written on it. Chu Hengkong was illuminated by the light of the ball, and his strength suddenly weakened. For a moment, he was unable to stop the Jade Fox's advance.

The nails' hold grew ever stronger, and the influence of the word "Void" seemed to deepen. A hundred meters passed in the blink of an eye, and the Jade Fox silently released its claws, pinning him to the ground. The remaining two orbs of light merged, growing larger with the Jade Fox's breath. The word "gun" flashed within them. The white light gathered and grew, forming a giant energy spear resembling a tree trunk. The spear's tip plummeted downward, piercing Chu Hengkong with its left claw, determined to kill him with a single blow.

The energy spear's power was immense, almost comparable to the breath of the Fire-Afraid Serpent. Other secret symbols flickered within the spear's body, clearly indicating that a successful strike would be followed by numerous attacks. This was the Jade Fox's ultimate attack, a power unmatched even among Transformers of the same level. But the spear inexplicably missed, and the human pinned beneath its claws suddenly vanished. He appeared behind the Jade Fox, in the shadow cast by the light.

The trophy from the battle against the Shadow Giant, Shadow Move.

Chu Hengkong leaped onto the Jade Fox's back, its left tentacle tightly gripping the fox's neck like a noose. The Jade Fox's hair hardened and shot out, and it violently rolled over, trying to throw the enemy off. But Chu Hengkong didn't give it even a second to stand a chance. He roared as he attacked, "Fander!"

Vander poked his head out and said, "Stop!"

The tentacles had already touched the enemy's body, fulfilling the conditions for the hypnosis spell to activate. The Jade Fox's movements instantly stopped, its blood-red eyes turning backwards, reflecting a steel knife. Chu Hengkong aimed the rock knife at the fox's eyes, his right hand holding the knife steady. "Let it escape from control."

"I'm trying, I'm trying!"

A second passed as he spoke, and the hypnosis was about to wear off. Finder stared into the fox's eyes, their almost inorganic blood-red color, a stark contrast to the violent beast from before. He extended invisible and intangible tentacles of his spirit, attempting to soothe the restless spirit beneath the cold shell.

Soul, heart, spirit, primordial spirit—different Dust Island factions call it by different names. The Library, like most authoritative institutions, refers to this formless, intangible essence as the "ghost body." It is one of the two essential elements of life, the source of spirit, memory, and emotion. While the form of a ghost body is generally similar to the physical body, this fox is a rare anomaly. Its ghost body is broken, ugly, and almost shapeless, like shredded flesh. Its outline does not resemble a fox, not at all.

Finder was extremely nervous. He looked at the ugly thing and tried to make his voice sound gentle.

"We're all familiar with each other now. Let's just pluck some hair and leave," it said cautiously. "Calm down. Don't fight."

It "looked" at the fox's ghost body and physical body at the same time. The ugly little thing became a little more obedient under the comfort of the tentacles. The fox blinked and seemed to be a little more clever.

But suddenly, the red in the fox's eyes grew sharp. From the perspective of the spectral form, an indistinct glint of pure white appeared. That force repelled all of Finder's tentacles, transforming into countless sharp needles that pierced the fox's spectral form, further dismembering, slicing, and ultimately controlling it. Though the spectral form possessed no flesh and blood, this sight left Finder with a nauseating, bloody feeling. He hurriedly exerted his strength, attempting to free the fox's consciousness, but the pure white light was too strong, and he was ejected!

"It won't work! The enemy is too strong!"

With a scream, Fander fell into his pocket. The defeat of his mental tentacles backfired, causing him to twitch painfully on the ground. The fox's hardened hair pierced the tentacles, and it suddenly exerted force, trying to break free. But Chu Hengkong held the tentacle noose tightly. He thrust the rock knife down fiercely, like a steel nail piercing the jade fox's eye!

Chu Hengkong silently unleashed his might, completely destroying the Jade Fox's brain with the blade. The blade pierced the Jade Fox's jaw at an angle, pinning it to the ground. The dying beast struggled desperately, but the assassin steadily suppressed its movements. With his bone forging nearly complete, the beast no longer posed a significant threat to him.

Twenty seconds later, the fox's head fell to the ground and its bloodshot eyes closed completely.

It's dead.

Fander finally climbed to his feet, feeling even more frightened, not by the fox but by the killer beside him. Chu Hengkong instantly erupted with cold murderous intent. Normally a man of deep emotion, he had been more robotic than the fox when he'd drawn his sword. Just like the pure white needles that dominated his body.

It thought that perhaps this was the other party's true appearance, coldly swinging a knife to kill, without any trace of human blood.

"...I don't really hate it that much." Vander whispered, "It's been diligently throwing stones for so long."

"I didn't want to kill it originally. I just wanted to chop off a piece of its flesh and blood for the ritual. But it's been controlled. The opponent's methods are so powerful that even you can't interfere." Chu Hengkong said, "This wouldn't be the first time it's been controlled. What has it been used for before?"

"I don't want to guess." Vander was in a low mood.

"I didn't want to either." Chu Hengkong said calmly, "So I killed it."

They spent a while preparing the fox's body. Transporting it back to town was out of the question, so Chu Hengkong dragged the Jade Fox's body a short distance up the road to where the fox usually pushed rocks. He tossed it down like a fox would a rock, and it took a while before he heard an echo.

He then repeated the same trick, dragging the centipede's body back and forth and throwing it down. The worm, as large as an iron bridge, caused him considerable trouble. Chu Hengkong personally dragged it from the front, releasing the Magic Spider Puppet to assist in the transport. After a short while, he finally moved the centipede to the top of the mountain and let it roll down the mountain.

"It's finally done," said Vander. "How do we get down?"

Chu Hengkong stuffed it back into his pocket.

"Give me three seconds to prepare for a blow. Okay. Jump now."

They leaped off the cliff just as they had on their first arrival, and it was a long time before their voices echoed back. As they faded into the distance, the thinning mist was pierced by blood, and pairs of crimson eyes opened in the Yingluo Mountains.

They were the eyes of lions, snakes, and birds. The army of strange beasts that had once pursued them had always been there, lurking silently within the mountains. Thousands of eyes gazed toward the foot of the mountain, toward the town that should not have existed. Then the red light faded, and the strange beasts collapsed to the ground, as silent as the dead.

·

After landing, Chu Hengkong rolled three times, feeling that he had improved compared to before. They got up from the ground and spoke at the same time.

"Look at Qisu." "Go find Qisu!"

They looked at each other in equal amazement, then smiled. Chu Hengkong hurried back to the town as fast as he could. The town looked much the same as when he left, and the slow-paced townspeople greeted him. When he pushed open the door to Qi Su's workshop, a little girl with green hair was working on a piece of steel with a short staff.

"So fast?" Qi Su smirked. "Did the fox chase you away? I told you to make some equipment first—what are you doing, you squid?!"

Chu Hengkong lifted her up and, after a careful inspection, confirmed that the child was safe. Touched, Fander lay on Qisu's head. The little girl's face flushed red as she kept kicking Chu Hengkong: "What are you doing? Put her down! If you don't let me go, I'll call for help!"

Chu Hengkong put her back on the ground and smiled rarely: "That fox also used secret texts, I am a little worried."

"Fox? What fox? Don't think you can avoid the topic here..." Qi Su raised his finger randomly and pointed at him, then realized halfway through, "...You, you killed the fox?"

Nodding.

Qi Su's eyes were filled with surprise, joy, and other expressions that he couldn't understand. She burst into tears with excitement.

"That's great." The little girl couldn't stop wiping her eyes, "That's great!"

News of Yuhu's death spread throughout the town, the two bodies confirming it beyond a reasonable doubt. Everyone rejoiced, and this event brought unprecedented vitality to the once sleepy Yingshi Town. Xiangfuzi was the first to suggest that such a joyous event should be celebrated, and so people created numerous straw rope ornaments and stone sculptures around the statue in the center of the town.

Just then, Brother Bernfa, who had been out fishing for more than ten days, returned. He hadn't caught a single fish, but he had found a lot of mushrooms, lotus roots, and wild fruits. That evening, the townspeople made vegetarian lotus root cakes, mushroom cakes, and a juice that looked like wine, and gave it all to Chu Hengkong and Fander.

This was the best meal Chu Hengkong had had in the past ten days. There wasn't much to eat, but the cheerful atmosphere was reassuring. Everyone laughed heartily, as if relieved of a heavy burden. One after another, they came to toast him, praising his kindness and martial arts, and praising Fan De's erudition and humor.

Xiang Fuzi was the happiest person at the banquet. Although he hadn't drunk, he seemed as excited as if he had. He waved his empty cup beneath the dragon statue and sang, "My dear friend in town, a warrior from afar! Single-handed... with a single blow, I charged into the mountains. I eliminated three evils, full of vigor and ambition!"

"What do you mean by 'single-touch-eye'? Am I a mount?" Fander protested loudly. Xiangfuzi laughed heartily: "The materials are ready, and the ceremony will begin. You two will be going on a long journey tomorrow. From this small mountain town, I wish you a safe return home!"

"Good!" Qi Su cheered loudly. Everyone applauded. Chu Hengkong sat by the campfire, watching everyone's heartfelt smiles, and for a moment he felt a lot more relaxed.

Maybe what Vander said is right. Sometimes it is not necessary to dig into the root of the matter. As long as the result is good, then everything is fine.

After the banquet, the two were the last to leave. After confirming that everyone was fine, they returned to the church to rest.

In the dead of night, a townsman quietly left the house. He came to the centipede's corpse alone, stroked its shiny black shell, and smiled for a long time.

"Brother Chu, thank you very much." He whispered.

He walked a little further until he reached the northernmost edge of town, before a church built by a stranger. The dim light illuminated his pale face. It was Xiang Fuzi, dressed in elegant black, a pristine high crown, and his hair carefully tied. He looked solemn, as if he were about to attend a ceremony. Brother Bernfar stood at the chapel door, his expression equally solemn.

Xiang Fuzi saluted him and asked, "Brother Chu..."

"I asked him to go to bed." Bernfa's voice was full of reassuring power. "Please be at ease."

Xiang Fuzi felt relieved, truly relieved, with nothing to worry about anymore. "I'll take care of everything," he said contentedly. The monk calmly stepped forward and took his arm. "Please follow me."

He followed the monk into the door and into the dark and peaceful church.

The next day, Xiang Fuzi disappeared.

(End of this chapter)