CHAPTER 156: CHAPTER 156: THE CYCLE OF LIFE AND DEATH CONTINUES (PLEASE SUBSCRIBE FOR THE FULL VERSION)

"You’re about to die; no need to try."

Lu Luo advanced again, but Li Qingshu had already retreated sharply, increasing the distance between them.

"Lu Luo, in such a spacious environment, without the aid of poison gas, how can you possibly win? The only reason I’ve been entangled by you to this extent today is because of that armor, ah~ugh!"

Li Qingshu hadn’t finished speaking when he vomited another mouthful of poisoned blood.

Actually, he was right. If not for the enclosed environment of the corridor, the effect of Lu Luo’s deadly poison mist would have been greatly diminished. Moreover, Li Qingshu had been caught by the armor three times and beaten three times, causing him significant damage. If not for the armor’s assistance, Li Qingshu wouldn’t have been defeated head-on by Lu Luo.

This was also why Lu Luo had decided to make his move on Li Qingshu in that corridor. He needed an absolutely favorable environment to be absolutely sure of killing a Fourth Tier high-level Sequence user.

[Has this guy’s mental state changed already? From "I’m going to kill you" to "You won’t kill me." Humans are so predictable. His Dark Energy has already begun to recover. Fight or flee, make it quick!]

Lu Luo pursed his lips and half-knelt on the ground, assuming a starting posture common in his previous life.

"My Constitution has reached the limit that a Second Tier life form can accommodate. If there are Lords in the Second Tier, I suppose I would now be considered a Second Tier Lord. The changes that 50 Constitution has brought me are not limited to enhancements to my Sequence. I must say, Ludie’s Dust Devil seems to have been created especially for me. With the Dust Devil Secret Technique, I should be able to achieve even stronger and more outlandish forms. Like this."

Lu Luo slightly arched his body and suddenly clenched his fist.

THUMP!

A loud heartbeat echoed through the air, so resonant it was like the beating of a war drum.

THUMP! THUMP!

Then came the second and third beats.

Lu Luo’s muscles swelled rapidly, and his body began to show significant changes. The muscles started to deform and compress, actually sealing the hole in Lu Luo’s left chest. The muscles closed off all of Lu Luo’s pores, and the pressure of the steam inside his body grew more intense.

Lu Luo’s height also expanded from about 1.86 meters to 1.95 meters. His originally lean physique had now become incredibly muscular, radiating a sense of power and definition.

Steam Form: Third Gear.

Li Qingshu was somewhat astonished by Lu Luo’s current transformation. Although he had imagined many times what Lu Luo would look like with bulging muscles, Lu Luo’s current form was clearly not what he had envisioned.

This structure... it’s just too refined!

HA!

Lu Luo exhaled another large mouthful of poison gas, and his body vanished in an instant.

Steam Form: Third Gear provided his body with nine times the steam pressure. While applying this pressure, it also gave Lu Luo an additional 2.7 times his base strength and speed. Beyond the basic amplification, the airtight nature of Steam Form: Third Gear also endowed Lu Luo with the ability for a steam burst.

But all of this required 50 points of Constitution and the Toughness Effect to reduce the damage the steam inflicted on his own body.

Steam was his power, deadly poison his fuel, and his limbs his weapons. With the support of the Toughness Effect, Lu Luo was now a humanoid Lord.

BOOM!

With a punch in mid-air, the steam pressure exploded instantaneously. The shockwave, carrying a mass of toxins, shattered Li Qingshu’s Shadow Shield completely. Li Qingshu’s remaining Dark Energy was insufficient for him to maintain a defensive stance.

He had lost the will to fight and wanted to escape, believing that while there’s life, there’s hope. Now, he was riddled with severe poison, covered in wounds, his Dark Energy nearly exhausted, and Lu Luo’s condition was even more terrifying than before.

If I continue to fight Lu Luo like this, I really might die.

He did not want to die!

Shadow Dodge!

Releasing his last bit of Dark Energy, Li Qingshu transformed into a mass of shadow and leaped straight down the cliff.

Lu Luo’s punch hit nothing but air, and Li Qingshu smiled smugly. Below was a seemingly bottomless abyss; he didn’t believe Lu Luo could still...

"FUCK!"

Just as Li Qingshu turned his head for a glance, he saw Lu Luo had already jumped down directly. Doesn’t he fear falling to his death in such an abyss? This guy’s way of fighting is too direct, too violent. This person will definitely become a major enemy of the company. I must get back; I can’t die here.

Li Qingshu looked at Lu Luo following him down the cliff and felt a chill creep into his heart. To capture him, Lu Luo was willing to leave even his heart undefended; his combat style was unlike that of a normal human. Being targeted by such an enemy, even a Fourth Tier would feel fear.

No matter, as long as I maintain my shadow form, Lu Luo won’t be able to touch me! Once we reach the bottom of the cliff, he will fall to his death, while I won’t!

Although he said this, the sight of Lu Luo closing in left a lingering shadow of dread in Li Qingshu’s mind. The preceding series of battles had made it clear to him that Lu Luo was far from foolish; on the contrary, he possessed considerable combat intelligence. For Lu Luo, doing whatever it took to achieve his goals was practically second nature.

So, would a person like that jump off a cliff so simply?

Lu Luo quietly sensed the second power of the Exotic Species. Unfamiliar as it was, with his experience of the poison species, he could still manage to control it. Li Qingshu might be in shadow form, but now, Lu Luo was not utterly helpless against shadows. Shadow power might not be physical, but the level of Netherflame was definitely above that of shadow.

Lu Luo used his own arm as a blade; Nether Induction began to converge slowly, forming a small purple point of light.

Just then, the childlike voice, suspected to be the Nightmare Demon’s, appeared again.

"Between life and death, there exists immortality, and Nether is the power of immortality. Feel Nether Induction, strip away life, bestow death. The cycle of life and death never ends; you live, he dies."

Suddenly, the point of light on Lu Luo’s fingertip turned into a purple flame. This flame had no temperature, but it quickly consumed his Life Energy.

[Your Life Energy is being consumed by some substance.]

Lu Luo had no time to ponder the principle behind it and thrust out his blade-like hand.

Netherflame - Spiral Sword.

Looking at the Netherflame, Li Qingshu felt an instinctual panic, but in this situation, he couldn’t escape.

The purple flame pierced through the shadow. The moment Li Qingshu was hit, he felt as if his very soul was being stripped away. Purple light burst from his seven orifices, and unable to maintain his shadow form, he reverted to his true shape.

Li Qingshu, now stripped of his shadow protection and facing Lu Luo once again, wore a face of anguish and resentment.

"Why? Why can’t you let me go even though I’m leaving? Haven’t your teachers ever taught you the principle of being merciful when you can? Yes, I provoked you first, but we’ve fought to this point, and I’ve admitted my defeat. Can’t we both take a step back and let bygones be bygones? Why does it have to be a fight to the death?"

Lu Luo, who had been mostly silent during the fight, finally spoke.

"The phrase ’let bygones be bygones’ is too hypocritical for my taste. I’m not magnanimous. I prefer the wheel of fortune to turn—right into the fucking grave."

Steam Burst - Deliberate Bombardment Fist!

BOOM.

The punch landed squarely on Li Qingshu’s body. Without energy for defense and his flesh ravaged by poison, blood erupted from him instantly.

COUGH!

A gush of blood sprayed from Li Qingshu’s mouth and nostrils. The Netherflame still burned his body; he clearly wasn’t going to survive much longer.

But at that moment, a hint of purple gleamed in Li Qingshu’s eyes.

"Then let’s die together!"

Dirge of the Soul.

At this point, Li Qingshu had no Dark Energy left, but he had once possessed the Nether Orb and also wielded Nether Induction. The cost of this power was great, but right now, Li Qingshu didn’t care anymore.

The cost of Nether Induction was astonishing!

Li Qingshu’s body aged rapidly, all his life force draining away. Part of this drained life force became the energy for the Dirge of the Soul.

Countless soul shadows surged towards Lu Luo—this was Li Qingshu’s final, desperate gambit. Li Qingshu’s flesh turned to ash, his blood dried up, and his remaining bones gradually scattered into dust as he let out a soul-deep roar of resentment towards Lu Luo.

"Die, die, die!"

The countless soul shadows gnawed at Lu Luo. An ordinary person would have been dismembered by such a terrifying attack long ago. But Lu Luo possessed 50 Constitution and a 27% damage reduction. Coupled with a -9 final damage reduction, this gave him the confidence to resist the Dirge of the Soul.

[You have been hit by the explosive energy of the Dirge of the Soul. You are injured.]

[You have been torn by the energy of the Dirge of the Soul. You are injured.]

[You have been impacted by the energy of the Dirge of the Soul. You are injured.]

The wounds on Lu Luo’s body multiplied, and his descent speed increased, showing no signs of slowing. But Lu Luo didn’t care. When he was about 100 meters above the ground, he suddenly tumbled in mid-air to adjust his posture.

Effect - Agility: Increases agility by 22%, reduces high-altitude fall damage, and enhances jumping ability.

The Agility effect finally proved its worth; even falling into such an abyss, Lu Luo was confident he wouldn’t be killed by the impact.

His feet landed heavily.

BOOM!

A fierce shockwave spread outward, creating a circular crater over 10 meters in diameter with Lu Luo at its epicenter. The force of this impact was distributed so evenly that it defied normal scientific explanation.

The countless soul shadows spread out with the shockwave, like roiling demonic clouds welcoming their monarch. As the soul shadows gradually dissipated, Lu Luo’s figure was finally revealed.

[Show’s over?]

"Mm."

[Your leg is broken.]

"I know."

Yes, Lu Luo’s leg was broken. After all, jumping from such a height, not even a leap of faith could have prevented injury.

"It hurts so much!" Lu Luo sat down on the ground, his eyes a bit dazed. Li Qingshu was finally dead, but even at the end, he hadn’t revealed his origin.

I’m 70 to 80 percent certain that Li Qingshu was from Blue Sky Pharmaceuticals. But what I can’t figure out is why he harbored doubts about my abilities. Did Blue Sky Pharmaceuticals start to doubt my abilities? No, that’s not right. If it were Blue Sky Pharmaceuticals, they absolutely wouldn’t have sent three teams of ordinary mercenaries to track and investigate me. Those mercenaries could only perform simple tracking tasks, which was essentially a tactic to flush out the prey by beating the grass. The initial investigation must have originated from the Little Red Bottle! So, this person likely discovered the uniqueness of my abilities himself and didn’t have time to report it. But his actions must have been known to others. Blue Sky Pharmaceuticals... Song Hana!

Ow! It hurts so much!

Lu Luo clutched his leg, missing Qi Xinzhu a little. It would have been nice if she were here. Not only can the girl heal wounds, but she’s also good-looking. Now, stranded in this desolate wilderness, how am I supposed to get back?

He struggled to his feet and used his Fusioner ability to create some vines and planks, fashioning a crude splint for his leg so he could barely walk. He wasn’t particularly concerned about the bones healing incorrectly. He figured he could just break them again and have them healed properly later—it wasn’t a big deal. What was most important now was to recover his mobility.

Lu Luo had just stood up, leaning against the wall, when the TAP, TAP of footsteps sounded from behind him.

"We finally meet, Lu Luo."

Is that... the child? Nightmare Demon?

[Warning, warning! A supremely high-level dangerous life-form is behind you! There is absolutely no chance of victory! Please remain calm, Host!]

Lu Luo turned around with some difficulty. A black horse, not particularly tall, appeared before him. Its mane and hooves were composed of roiling Netherflame. This image had recently become quite popular in the East Ring; some merchants had even produced figurines of it.

"Nightmare Demon!"

Lu Luo stared into its eyes, and his mind was immediately assaulted by waves of intense dizziness. He was on the verge of fainting when he quickly closed his eyes and steadied himself with a hand on a nearby stone.

Just one glance, and it’s this overwhelming? SAN points plummeting... indescribable horror...

Although he had closed his eyes in time, Lu Luo still couldn’t withstand it and collapsed rigidly.

The Nightmare Demon slowly approached Lu Luo, first sniffing him, then licking his face with its tongue.

"Did he really faint? He was so formidable before; I thought he could hold out for a long time!"

The Nightmare Demon tapped its hoof; space distorted around them, and it carried Lu Luo away from that place.

「...」

When Lu Luo woke up, he found himself back in the room with the red carpet and white walls. He lay on a single bed, covered with a blanket—apparently, he’d been well taken care of.

Wait a minute! Lu Luo instantly flung off the blanket.

"Oh! Good, good, the sword is still in its scabbard."

His clothes had been removed, and a fresh set lay on the bedside table, presumably for him to change into. Lu Luo had no inclination to resist and simply picked up the clothes to put on. As for adapting to his surroundings, he had no psychological burden whatsoever. With the Nightmare Demon’s power, if it wanted to kill him, nothing in the entire Fourth Ring could stop it. If it truly acted, it would trigger a Black Tide War between humans and Exotic Species. So, Lu Luo never considered being betrayed or plotted against. The gap in power was too great; the Nightmare Demon had no need for such theatrics.

What was that saying? If you can’t resist, you might as well lie back and enjoy it.

There you go, they’d even brought clothes. Was he really going to hesitate about wearing them? Although he didn’t particularly like such bright red clothes, it was certainly better than being naked, right?

[The Host always accepts reality so easily, but I still have to remind you. Based on the standards at the edge of the Fourth Ring, the Dark Energy concentration in this area is 49 times higher than in the Fourth Ring itself. It’s better to stay alert.]

"Forty-nine times? That’s 2.5 times higher than the Second Ring." Hearing this number, Lu Luo’s eyes suddenly lit up. His first reaction wasn’t that the place was dangerous, but rather: If I train here, my progress should be rapid, right? I could probably save a lot of money.

Then again, I still need to find Qi Xinzhu and Gu Fangyi. They might be at some risk in this kind of environment.

When Lu Luo put on the shirt, he realized he might have underestimated the situation’s peculiarity.

This outfit was too awkward!

The red shirt fastened with horizontal frog clasps. It was made of a very fine, unidentifiable material that felt remarkably comfortable. The black skirt was rather form-fitting, nicely outlining Lu Luo’s physique. There was also a pair of boots embroidered with golden brocade and, in addition, a high-crowned, round-brimmed soldier’s hat.

Individually, these garments were fine, but worn together, they created a rather striking problem. Dressed in this outfit, Lu Luo immediately took on the air of a cartoon character, resembling the toy soldiers from games in his previous life.

Standing before the mirror, Lu Luo adjusted his clothes and hair a little, then joked to his reflection, "Hello there, Mr. Toy Soldier!"

Just then, his reflection in the mirror suddenly took off its hat and bowed to Lu Luo.

"You are a very handsome sir. Greetings to you."

Huh? This...

If it hadn’t been complimenting his looks, Lu Luo would have smashed the mirror with his fist long ago.

[It’s a newly mutated First Tier Mirror Spirit, a common type of Specter Species. Its creation could be due to many reasons, but I suspect it’s mainly because the Dark Energy here is just too high.]

"I think the main reason is that I’m just too handsome. The ’me’ in the mirror couldn’t resist speaking up to praise me, and that’s why it transformed into an Exotic Species."

[Anyone with a shred of shame wouldn’t be able to say that.]

The Mirror Spirit waved at Lu Luo.

"Mr. Lu Luo, the master is waiting for you. Please exit, turn right, and go to the room at the end of the hall. It is a very patient master, so you should go over quickly."

Patient, yet telling me to hurry? Alright, I think I get it.