Chapter 104: Ambushed

After Qin Chuan returned to the starting point, Zizi and Sleepy-Bug rushed over.

Zizi’s face was glowing with a smile as she praised, "Qin Chuan, you’ve impressed me once again!"

"Heh, can't help it, I'm just that powerful."

"Pfft, showing off again."

At this moment, Sleepy-Bug gave a loud howl and lunged forward, sucking up the green toxic miasma in a frenzy. In the blink of an eye, it was completely devoured.

"Oh my, this little brother of mine is really starting to eat anything he can find."

As the green miasma vanished, the corpse of the Five-Colored Green Spirit Beast was revealed. Its eyes were wide open, staring in disbelief, clearly dying with deep regret.

"Damn, why are your eyes still so wide open after death? Who are you trying to scare?"

Qin Chuan jumped over and flicked its head away into a pile of grass with a single strike of his sword.

A moment later, the three bandits divided the spoils.

"Ding! Devouring successful. Gained 48,000 evolution points."

"Ding! Devouring of the Soul-Sharpening Bead successful. Sharpness increased by 20%."

"Ding! Devouring of the Green Spirit Fluid successful. Resistance to green toxic miasma increased by 100%."

The effect of the Soul-Sharpening Bead was truly incredible. Qin Chuan’s sharpness value skyrocketed, now exceeding 1,160.

"Haha, I’ve discovered that after entering the four-star zone, there are treasures everywhere. This is quite a surprise."

"Mhm, Big Brother, the six-star zone is just ahead. Let’s go pick up some treasures!"

"Alright, let's go!"

Qin Chuan and Sleepy-Bug grew more and more excited as they talked, walking straight toward the end of the passage.

"Hey, you two! Seriously, wait for me!"

...

Upon stepping into the six-star zone, Qin Chuan clearly felt a difference.

The jungle here was dense and lush, filled with greenery and the sound of flowing water. The air was as fresh as the outside world, as if they were submerged in a sea of green.

Zizi couldn't help but take a deep breath and exclaimed, "Wow, the six-star zone is so comfortable. This is truly magical."

It was true; the Five-Star Life and Death Path was guarded by the Five-Colored Green Spirit Beast, preventing any outside spiritual objects from entering. Therefore, the six-star zone was like a paradise, though it was clear this wasn't the only reason for its state.

"Hmm, where there is an anomaly, there is surely a demon. We need to investigate."

Before Qin Chuan could even finish his sentence, Zizi said fiercely, "Qin Chuan, who are you calling a demon?"

"Huh?!"

Only then did Qin Chuan remember that Zizi was of the demon race. He quickly added, "Zizi, don't misunderstand! I didn't mean 'demon' in that sense. I meant it as in 'something strange'."

Qin Chuan couldn't help but marvel at the depth and breadth of language; a single word could have so many meanings.

"Demon" was the term used by other superior planes to refer to Zizi’s kind, often carrying a derogatory tone. Since shedding their original forms and cultivating into human bodies, their essence had fundamentally changed, making them no different from humans. Zizi had always considered herself a living, breathing person—the same logic by which Qin Chuan considered himself a human.

A hint of anxiety appeared in Sleepy-Bug’s cute eyes, and he hurriedly chimed in, "Yeah, Sister Zizi, Big Brother just had a slip of the tongue. Don't be angry."

"Pfft!"

To their surprise, Zizi couldn't help but laugh out loud, acting as if nothing had happened. "Tch, look at you two panicking. I was just joking; I’m not that petty."

Deep down, Zizi felt a touch of sweetness, for she felt the care of her friends—perhaps Qin Chuan was even more than just a friend.

"Alright, Zizi, don't keep startling us like that. My spirit core is very fragile."

"Sister Zizi, mine too."

"Tch, I don't believe a word you say. You’re both cunning, cunning bandits."

"Mhm, that’s a fair point, right little brother?"

"Yeah, we are both bandits—bandits with a bond forged in life and death."

...

This little interlude brought the friendship between the three bandits a step further.

At this moment, the entire six-star zone was deathly quiet, as if there were no dangers at all. However, this phenomenon was rare—it felt somewhat like the areas Qin Chuan had previously slaughtered his way through. Perhaps before long, it would truly be deathly quiet here.

The three bandits moved forward happily, almost as if they were on an outing. They were deep in the jungle, surrounded by dense trees, the cool air carrying a hint of eeriness.

What was strange, however, was that not even an insect or ant could be seen here, let alone any spiritual creatures.

At the same time, some tree vines in the surroundings were moving inadvertently, quickly closing in on the three bandits.

"Whoosh!"

Suddenly, countless tree vines shot out from all directions. The vines were covered in sharp spikes, resembling whips of thorns.

"Look out!"

Qin Chuan shouted angrily and began to brandish his long sword.

"Clang!"

"Heavenly Maiden Scatters Flowers!"

"Defensive Technique!"

The three bandits struck simultaneously, slashing through countless vines.

In the distance, within the forest, a chorus of startled voices rang out.

"Huh? They didn't die?"

"That black sword is quite sharp. I wonder where it came from?"

"That girl is also quite capable. That fat bug looks useless, yet it didn't even get hurt."

"Should we all charge together and bury them?"

"How about this: you take the brothers and close in while invisible, and I’ll go out to attract their attention."

"Fine, let's do that."

As a pile of severed vines fell to the ground, all the other vines retracted in a flash, and the jungle became quiet once more.

Sleepy-Bug asked in a daze, "Big Brother, where did those vines come from, and why did they suddenly leave?"

At that moment, Qin Chuan heard the system prompt.

"Ding! Discovered Level 27, Tier 3 High-Grade Stealth Tree. Quality: Exceptional. Seven-star elite."

"Be careful, these are Stealth Trees. They might have some special skills."

"Mhm."

No sooner had Qin Chuan finished speaking than a large tree moved from the distance, transforming into a tree-man in the blink of an eye. The Stealth Tree-man was covered in vines, and its textured face was embedded with a pair of black eyes and a green spirit bead.

"Where did you three come from, and what do you want here?"

The Stealth Tree-man’s voice was dull and sounded hollow.

Qin Chuan answered with a question of his own: "Are you the boss here?"

Hearing this, the Stealth Tree-man assumed Qin Chuan was intimidated, and his textured face revealed a hint of arrogance: "That's right, I am the boss here. Everything must be done according to my word."

To his surprise, Qin Chuan replied with a "smile": "Good, then you can leave."

"Leave? Where to? Have you lost your mind? This is my territory, and I call the shots!"

The Stealth Tree-man was stunned at first, followed by a fit of blind rage.

"I mean I'm sending you on your way."

The Stealth Tree-man had failed to ambush Qin Chuan, and yet he still dared to come out and show off; this was clearly asking for death.

"Swoosh!"

Qin Chuan did not hesitate to activate his skill, Flowing Strike. The Dragon-Patterned Cold Jade Sword flew out like a shooting star.

However, a look of disdain appeared on the Stealth Tree-man’s face as he roared, "Old Tree Roots!"

In that instant, the shadow of a giant tree covered the Stealth Tree-man, radiating a brilliant green light. This was the Stealth Tree-man’s defensive skill, increasing his toughness by 50%.

"That rotten black sword of yours, so dark and dingy, certainly isn't anything good."

"Although you can cut vines, my current toughness is over 700. What are you going to use to hurt me?"

In the Stealth Tree-man’s eyes, Qin Chuan only had about 500 sharpness. With his own 700+ toughness, he was a formidable presence in the six-star zone.

However...

"Thwack!"

"Ah! How can this be?!"

As the tip of the sword pierced through the phantom of the giant tree, the Stealth Tree-man’s black eyes flickered with unbelievable shock and boundless panic.

"Ding! Critical hit triggered."

"Ding! Killed Level 27 Stealth Tree. Gained 75,000 experience points. Bonus 100% experience for killing a higher-level enemy. Congratulations to the Host for gaining 150,000 experience points."

At this, the tree-men hiding in the surroundings gasped in unison.

"Hiss! The boss... he was actually killed in one hit!"

"That black sword is truly vicious!"

"Now that the guy is within our attack range, let's all pile on and kill him!"

"Right, kill him! Avenge the boss!"