Chapter 18: Clearing S-Rank Trial Mission 135

 Chapter 18:  Clearing S-Rank Trial Mission 135

The tree root, as thin as a thumb, quickly surged with golden flames, turning into charcoal.

The tree roots that covered the walls suddenly came to life, resembling a dense and crawling mass of snakes.

The Banyan Tree Spirit didn't expect this outsider mortal to have such keen intelligence. Seeing its lies exposed, it stopped pretending and said fiercely, "Since you're unwilling to come over, then go die."

The ground of the cave cracked open in response, and thick and sturdy tree roots emerged from the soil like twisted tentacles, sweeping towards Zhang Yuanqing.

Even without the Red Dancing Shoes, Zhang Yuanqing could have escaped this distance.

"Just as I thought, they wanted to deceive me into approaching..." Zhang Yuanqing didn't retreat but instead moved forward, dodging the entanglement of the tree roots with a slide. He closed the distance between himself and the Banyan Tree, then leaped several meters high, evading another sweep.

More and more tree roots burst through the ground, dancing wildly in the cave.

Zhang Yuanqing maneuvered and jumped between the tentacles with elegant grace. No matter how hard the tree roots tried, they couldn't catch him.

Without subduing the Red Dancing Shoes, relying solely on the Demon Subduing Staff, the death rate for a novice facing this level would be extremely high.

"Deng deng deng..." The Red Dancing Shoes ran swiftly on the wall, avoiding the entanglement and strikes of the tree roots. With a knee-jerk, Zhang Yuanqing propelled himself like an arrow through the encirclement of the tree roots and rammed into the tree trunk.

Seeing the human darting towards it, fear was evident on the tree trunk's face.

Boom!

The stones at the base of the tree roots split open, and more roots gushed out, forming a wooden wall.

Zhang Yuanqing forcefully thrust the Demon Subduing Staff.

Golden flames spread on the surface of the wooden wall, causing the Banyan Tree Spirit to scream in anger.

Seizing the opportunity, Zhang Yuanqing smashed through the carbonized wooden wall, fiercely thrusting the three-edged sharp end of the Demon Subduing Staff into the tree trunk.

Dang!

The three-edged spike deeply pierced into the trunk, and a blazing sun burst forth from the pitch-black cave.

The golden light distorted the tree trunk and distorted the face, making it emit a miserable scream and releasing sizzling blue smoke.

In an instant, the souls hiding within the tree trunk also turned into blue smoke amidst the screams.

All the ghosts and monsters vanished without a trace, dissipated in the golden light.

As the golden light dissipated, the cave returned to darkness but suddenly became clean and bright.

Instead of immediately checking whether the Banyan Tree Spirit was completely dead, Zhang Yuanqing quickly removed the Red Dancing Shoes from his feet and stored them in his inventory.

From entering the cave until now, it had been almost five minutes.

After putting away the Red Dancing Shoes, Zhang Yuanqing shifted his attention to the large Banyan tree. It had withered, its bark cracked, and it lost all its moisture, with tree roots scattered throughout the cave.

In Zhang Yuanqing's mind, a cold voice resounded:

【Ding, congratulations on completing the S-rank trial mission. Character card activated, rewards are being calculated.】

【Obtained item/prop: Demon Subduing Staff.】

【Experience reward: 100%.】

【You have become the Night Walker.】

【Experience reward: 20%.】

【Character card reward activated, item reward: Red Dancing Shoes.】

【Five minutes later, leaving the spirit realm...】

Finally, it's over... Zhang Yuanqing felt both physically and mentally exhausted, as if his whole body was drained.

He had cleared the She Ling Tunnel, accomplishing something that no one had been able to do in decades.

With the prompt sounding, the black crescent mark on Zhang Yuanqing's forehead became prominent. A strange and mysterious power was released from the glowing mark and rushed into his body in an almost overbearing manner.

His skin turned red, like boiled shrimp, as the mysterious power washed through his body, integrating into each cell and merging with his bones. The wounds on his arms were visibly healing at a rapid speed.

He involuntarily convulsed, and two illusory black crescent moons appeared in his eyes before disappearing.

The pain quickly subsided, replaced by a comforting feeling akin to soaking in a hot spring.

So comfortable... Zhang Yuanqing felt incredibly lazy and wanted to stretch. Instinctively, he lowered his head to look, and to his surprise, he saw his own body standing where he left it.

Am I having an out-of-body experience?

Panic rose within him, and subconsciously, he tried to return to his physical body. With a single thought, his soul immediately sank and merged back into his flesh.

Once he regained control of his physical body, Zhang Yuanqing noticed that there was something different about it – something called "Talent."

He naturally accepted this talent, as if it had been an inherent part of him from birth.

At the same time, he felt his body filled with boundless energy and strength, even having the illusion that he could punch through a planet.

Zhang Yuanqing opened the character attributes panel:

【Name: Yuan Shi Tian Zun】

【Race: Human】

【Profession: Night Walker】

【Level: 1】

【Skills: Night Walking, Soul Devouring, Lunar Spirit】

【Experience: 20%】

【Morality: 60 (Initial Value)】

【Night Walking (Active): Condense lunar power to envelop oneself, entering a state of night walking. During the skill activation, one can briefly become invisible and conceal their scent, breath, sound, and heat for six seconds.】

【Soul Devouring (Active): Devour souls to enhance one's own spirituality.】

【Lunar Spirit (Passive): The Night Walker's physique is robust, possessing strong vitality and powerful self-healing abilities. During the night, the Night Walker's various abilities will be greatly enhanced.】

He had officially become a Night Walker, and on top of that, he gained an additional 20% experience. Coupled with the item reward, the gains from this trial were undoubtedly abundant.

Zhang Yuanqing opened the inventory, and the Red Dancing Shoes lay silently in the first slot, the half-hour countdown having disappeared.

He had officially become the owner of the Red Dancing Shoes.

Two minutes later, he had mostly adapted to his physical condition, and the wounds on his arms had already healed.

Then, Zhang Yuanqing shifted his gaze to the stone coffin.

The mission was complete, which meant that the exploration degree had reached 100%. Did that mean the stone coffin was empty?

"It seems the Banyan Tree Spirit was the temple priest. In that case, all the 'characters' have made their appearance. How did he turn into the tree spirit? Is the body inside the coffin his physical form?"

With these thoughts in mind, Zhang Yuanqing leisurely walked to the stone coffin, intending to take a look inside; perhaps there were some treasures buried with him.

There were still over two minutes left before leaving the spirit realm; he had enough time.

As a precaution, he summoned the Red Dancing Shoes again and selected the wearing mode.

The stone coffin was wrapped in withered tree roots. Zhang Yuanqing swung the Demon Subduing Staff, cutting off these dehydrated roots one by one to reveal the full appearance of the stone coffin.

The coffin was about two meters long and intricately carved with delicate patterns. A layer of light ash had accumulated on the coffin lid.

"Zha zha..." He slowly pushed open the lid of the coffin and looked inside. As a Night Walker, even without the divine power of the Demon Subduing Staff, he could easily see through the darkness.

Inside the stone coffin lay a female corpse, wearing an ancient tattered silk skirt. Her arms were crossed over her flat abdomen, and her waist was slender like a willow, with graceful curves, showing no signs of decay.

The female corpse had a beautiful appearance, with cheeks outlining a perfect face shape. She had a straight and delicate nose, sensuous but pale lips, closed eyelids, and dense, interlocking eyelashes.

An unparalleled beauty.

Zhang Yuanqing was astonished and kept retreating. One thought lingered in his mind:

Is this really the Three Paths Mountain Goddess?!

Compared to the statue in the main hall, this female corpse lacked the kindness but exuded a cold charm. She was less plump and more slender, appearing like a young woman.

However, her facial features were undoubtedly about seventy to eighty percent similar.

"Could it be that the Banyan Tree Spirit was telling the truth? The origin of the disciples' disappearance in the temple was the Three Paths Mountain Goddess?"

At that moment, he felt fear and doubt, questioning his judgment. Wrong judgments would undoubtedly come with immense danger.

"No, that's not right. My mission is indeed complete, which means my speculations were correct. So, is the goddess in the stone coffin related to a hidden mission?"

Zhang Yuanqing suddenly regretted opening the coffin. Since the stone coffin contained the Three Paths Mountain Goddess, it inevitably meant that there were deeper plots hidden within the Mountain God Temple.

This could potentially trigger a series of unfavorable chain reactions, such as activating hidden missions.

He was about to close the coffin lid when he noticed a black gleam between the lips of the female corpse.

Something there?

After a slight hesitation, he pinched the sharp jaw and pried open the luscious lips, revealing the black gleam inside.

It was a pitch-black and pure bead.

【Name: Spirit Body Crystal】

【Type: Consumable】

【Function: None】

【Introduction: A soul crystal purified by the power of the Sun God, containing a vast amount of spiritual power, which is the most desired supplement for Night Walkers.】

【Note: The impurities in the crystal have been purified by the Three Paths Mountain Goddess, feel free to consume it.】

Zhang Yuanqing used two fingers to pick up the bead.

The bead quickly dissolved into a sticky energy and rushed into his brow.

【Ding, you have gained 22% experience.】

Zhang Yuanqing's entire body surged with power, once again feeling the illusion of being able to punch a planet.

He sensed that he had significantly grown stronger, and even without checking the attribute panel, he could clearly perceive the enhancement in his skills.

The delay time of Night Walking increased by three seconds, from six seconds to nine seconds.

Unexpectedly, he became stronger. "Goddess, rest in peace..." Zhang Yuanqing silently closed the coffin lid, pretending that he had never opened it.

Next, as he waited for the countdown to finish, Zhang Yuanqing felt uneasy and restless, fearing that something unfavorable might happen, such as triggering a hidden mission and interrupting his return.

Fortunately, nothing happened, and Zhang Yuanqing watched as the timer on the cyan panel began to count down:

5, 4, 3... 2

Suddenly, a long sigh echoed in the dark and silent cave.

Zhang Yuanqing: "..."

The coffin lid was pushed from inside, and a pale and exquisite hand reached out, grabbing the edge of the coffin. Soon after, the beautiful woman in the stone coffin sat up.

The deep, unfathomable eyes of the female corpse scanned the cave, meeting Zhang Yuanqing's stiff expression.

She gazed at Zhang Yuanqing and raised the corner of her mouth.

This smile almost scared Zhang Yuanqing to death.

At that moment, the scenery shattered like a reflection on the water's surface, and the countdown ended.

Everything around became blurred.

In the blink of an eye, the scene gradually stabilized, and a bright, white light shone from above. Clean white walls, a desk, a computer, a television, a double bed...

The curtains swayed in the wind, and outside the window, there were clear bird chirpings.

He had returned to the mortal world.

...