Chapter Eighty-Seven: Indeed, a Masterful Scheme

From the moment Qin Chuan slew the first wave of venomous hummingbirds, the spiritual beasts in the two-star area displayed an overwhelming enthusiasm, mobilizing nearly every force from land, sea, and air. With a relentless, never-surrender spirit, they poured forth endlessly, delivering experience and essence to Qin Chuan.

By the end of the battle, Zizi could only retreat to the sidelines and watch. As she gazed at the field littered with corpses, she finally witnessed firsthand the legendary Black Demon Sword in action—it truly lived up to its reputation. The Black Demon Sword's methods were merciless, leaving no blade of grass behind. That was the verdict given to Qin Chuan by the spiritual beasts of the Deer Plains.

Upon entering the Illusive Forest, Qin Chuan remained true to his ways, his means equally ruthless, again leaving nothing behind. In this wave, the two-star zone was nearly swept clean by him; it would take ages for the area to recover its former vitality.

Qin Chuan had slain a total of 3,523 spiritual beasts, most at level 22, with only a handful at level 23. With this, he was on the verge of leveling up, and his Slaughter skill had risen to level 2.

Evolution Points: 35,444,000 / 52,416,000
Experience: 194,000,000 / 208,000,000
Rage: 40 / 100
Slaughter Value: 1,799 / 10,000
Level 2 Slaughter (Passive): Temporarily increases sharpness by 10%, reduces all attributes within 20 meters by 10%. Triggers upon killing a target, lasting three seconds.

After the battle, Zizi commented with a mix of admiration and teasing, "Tsk, tsk, the Black Demon Sword truly lives up to its name."

At that moment, Qin Chuan had just finished his massacre, having absorbed a heap of essence, and was in excellent spirits. "Ha! The spiritual beasts of the two-star area are too enthusiastic. I can't stop even if I want to."

"Pfft!" Zizi couldn't help but laugh, shooting him a glance as she said, "I’ve noticed that besides loving to show off, you’re also someone who likes to play coy after getting the advantage."

"By the way, I don’t quite understand—why must you kill so many spiritual beasts?"

"It's actually simple: the more I kill, the faster I level up."

Hearing this, Zizi was even more shocked. "You actually level up through slaughter? You're a real monster!"

"Haha, don’t be so surprised. After all, the Spirit Realm is full of wonders!"

Although Qin Chuan didn’t reveal the existence of his system, his explanation was perfect.

At that moment, Sleepy Bug trotted over. "While I was wandering the two-star area, I checked around—there really isn’t much left here."

In fact, Sleepy Bug had returned long ago and was used to Qin Chuan’s actions. Slaughtering thousands of spiritual beasts was nothing out of the ordinary.

"Alright, let’s head to the Path of Life and Death."

"Mm-hmm."

And so, the three great thieves swaggered toward the Path of Life and Death. Because Qin Chuan had just cleared the two-star area, the space before the path was empty, not a single spiritual beast in sight.

Luck was on their side—the multicolored poisonous miasma had become quite thin, so after only ten minutes, the Path of Life and Death for the two-star area opened.

This time, the Path of Life and Death was not as before. Previously, the Spirit-devouring Flowers swayed beautifully in the breeze; now, it was gloomy and eerie, the interior obscured from view.

Sleepy Bug swallowed nervously. "Boss, this place is so creepy."

"Mm, it’s fine. Stay close behind me and be careful," Qin Chuan instructed, leading the way. After advancing more than a hundred meters, he heard the system prompt.

"Ding! Discovered level 23, tier-three, superior Multicolored Venom Eye. Quality: Excellent. Grade: Elite."

The Multicolored Venom Eye grew five differently colored vines, each bearing a large eyeball. It belonged to the ranged attack category, extremely rare, and adept at concealment. Because its skills were so unique, the pass rate of this Path of Life and Death was not high.

Venomous Ray (Active): Fires a ray imbued with deadly poison. Cooldown: 3 seconds. Each level increases range by 2 meters and reduces cooldown by 0.2 seconds. Currently level 9.

Concealment (Passive): In non-combat, can actively hide for 30 seconds. In combat, automatically conceals for 1 second every 3 seconds. Each level reduces damage by 5%. Currently level 4.

Petrifying Gaze (Active): Locks onto a target and reduces their tenacity by 30%. Each level increases petrification duration by 0.2 seconds and range by 2 meters. Currently level 6.

Five-colored Light Wave (Active): Fires five consecutive rays over three seconds: blue, green, purple, orange, and red. From blue to red, poison damage increases by 20% for each color. Each level increases attack range by 3 meters. Currently level 4.

Upon hearing the prompt, Qin Chuan quickly said, "Wait, something’s off in here. You two stay back—let me check it out first."

"Okay, Boss."

"Mm, Qin Chuan, be careful," Zizi replied, her tone tinged with concern.

Sensing Zizi's care, Qin Chuan's heart rippled with warmth.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Feeling pleased, he continued forward, leaping ten meters and hearing twenty system prompts.

"Damn, these creatures are really expert at hiding—can’t even see a shadow!"

He muttered, then pressed on a few more meters, but now his mind was fully alert.

Suddenly, seventeen green beams flashed, blasting at Qin Chuan from four directions. Fourteen struck from left, right, and behind, while three targeted two meters above him—but none came from directly ahead.

"Damn, what’s the meaning of this?"

"Are they forcing me to move forward?"

"Fine, then I’ll go forward!"

Qin Chuan judged correctly—the Multicolored Venom Eyes were indeed forcing him forward. Venomous Ray had an 18-meter range; Petrifying Gaze and Five-colored Light Wave, 12 meters. Yet, it was odd—the Venom Eyes forced him ahead instead of waiting until he entered the Petrifying Gaze’s range.

This was because activating Death Gaze produced a strange ripple and had a certain delay.

For spiritual beasts with quick reflexes, dodging wasn’t difficult. The Venom Eyes, well aware of this flaw, adopted a feint to lure their prey into the trap.

No doubt, the Multicolored Venom Eyes were cunning indeed.

"Blink! I'll grant you your wish!"

Qin Chuan, knowing the risks, charged straight ahead.

"Petrifying Gaze!"

Three eerie voices sounded, accompanied by a peculiar ripple, and the Venom Eyes revealed themselves.

"Such clever tactics!"

Qin Chuan recognized their intent—their powerful control skill could make anyone miserable if struck.

But at this point, Qin Chuan was nigh invulnerable, even immune, fearless of anything.

He locked onto one Venom Eye and released his skill.

"Flow Strike!"

"Chirp!"

The Dragon-patterned Frost Jade Sword soared through the air, unaffected in the least, stunning every Venom Eye.

Hiss!

"This can't be!"

"Why didn’t Petrifying Gaze work?"

...

Qin Chuan’s maneuver completely disrupted the Venom Eyes’ plans.

"Pfft!"

"Ding! Killed level 23 Multicolored Venom Eye, gained 55,000 experience. Bonus for killing above level: 100% extra experience. Congratulations, host, received 110,000 experience."

"Slide! Basic attack—your life ends here!"

"Ding! Killed..."

Qin Chuan moved with ease, slicing enemies as if chopping vegetables.

The Venom Eyes’ tenacity was low—they relied on ranged attacks and control to defeat foes. In close quarters, despite their control and damage-reduction passives, they were no match for Qin Chuan.

A triple kill left the Venom Eyes utterly bewildered—they had never seen such tactics.

Having attacked, the Venom Eyes were now exposed, foolishly standing their ground.

If even such an opportunity were missed, Qin Chuan wouldn’t be Qin Chuan—he’d be the ‘Dear Brother’ instead.