In the dead silence, Huai Shi listened to the footsteps gradually approaching from afar, leaned against the tree trunk, and slowly slid down into the grass on the ground, gasping violently.

The stabbing pain that had filled his insides finally erupted, tormenting his consciousness, bringing warnings.

I was too arrogant.

I should not have taken that sword hit head-on.

Because I have a high resistance to poison, I didn't think that the sword could actually damage the Stigma. If it weren't for my Stigma, specially modified by Raven with a structure that had incomparable stability at its level, that sword strike could have turned me into a vegetable on the spot.

Without the ceremony I had during my last advancement, I couldn't guarantee that I could be reborn in this Hell again... And as the Stigma was damaged, the transformation efficiency of the Mountain Ghost began to drop rapidly. A considerable amount of plant vitality dissipated within his physical shell, leading to the most direct effect: his internal organs and muscles started to show signs of lignification.

Even though these were just signs, they were alarming enough.

He sighed helplessly, lifted his wrist, and made a cut. Thick green blood started to drip to the ground from his fingertips.

DRIP. DRIP. DRIP...

Amidst the faint dripping sound, the blood quietly soaked into the earth. With each drop that penetrated the soil, a plant abruptly grew out.

Limited by the Source Substance Huai Shi had absorbed, the variety wasn't rich, consisting mainly of the flowers, vines, thorns, and trees commonly found in this part of Hell.

Without exception, they all carried poisons potent enough to kill.

Nourished by the life force of the Mountain Ghost, numerous fungi began to sprout rapidly, and a barely visible layer of white fuzz swiftly covered the thorns' barbs. As Huai Shi propped himself up and staggered forward, one poisonous pool after another formed in the dense woods.

Unfortunately, Huai Shi now had no Source Substance to further catalyze their infectivity. He could only rely on the excessive vitality in his body for rapid proliferation, hoping that quantity could compensate for their lack of offensive capability.

As a vast amount of life force drained away, Huai Shi's complexion grew paler, but his eyes, however, grew increasingly bright.

Having shed the now cumbersome excess life force, the Mountain Ghost Stigma could operate smoothly again, and the lignification of his organs and muscles began to recede.

After hurriedly treating his wound with a Silver Blood Potion, Huai Shi leaned against the bushes, listening to the distant cries of agony and horrified shouts, and couldn't help but laugh.

Is it taking effect?

When the second mercenary, covered in poisonous pustules and pox, was dragged out by his teammates and laid on an open patch of ground, everyone involuntarily stepped back.

The first group of Sublimators to enter the woods, although showing faint pox marks on their faces, were only coughing due to the suppressive effects on their Stigma and physique; they hadn't yet lost their ability to move like the two unlucky ones.

"The monitoring device shows he didn't escape."

Xi Jiang glanced at the small screen in his hand and looked up at Guo Nu. "This was your job, so you come up with a plan. What should we do? If you use us as cannon fodder again, I won't want your things, and we'll turn around and leave."

Guo Nu frowned, staring at Xi Jiang.

Xi Jiang looked back at him coldly.

Having lost several men without so much as a taste of reward, he had reached the limit of his patience.

Logically, since the mission had failed and they weren't exactly die-hard soldiers or out to spread love, freedom, and peace, mercenaries should act like hyenas, withdrawing at the first sign of no benefit...

Yet, Guo Nu found himself in a difficult position, unable to advance or retreat.

He looked back at Lin Yu behind him; she hadn't said a word but merely glanced back at him indifferently.

Since Huai Shi had escaped into the woods, she had taken out a small Crucible and begun to concoct some unknown Potion. She kept throwing all sorts of unsettling ingredients into it, and soon, the sound of a baby's cry came from within...

He supposed it wasn't anything good.

If they retreated now, the hard-earned connection with the Lin family would surely be completely ruined. Not to mention the utter failure of his plan to retire and go legitimate, this madwoman might even take her anger out on him afterward.

Remembering the Lin family's historically domineering ways, he sighed, realizing he had no way out.

I was too hasty...

Accustomed to being a stray dog, I eagerly snatched at the olive branch that fell before me. Now that I wanted to abandon ship upon realizing something was wrong, it was no longer within my control.

As Guo Nu pondered their attack strategy, someone from behind him suddenly suggested, "That guy's Stigma is plant-type; he has the terrain advantage in there. Why don't we set fire to the woods... just burn the guy to death inside?"

Before he finished speaking, Guo Nu and Xi Jiang simultaneously turned to look at him.

With the expression one reserves for an absolute idiot.

Xi Jiang looked back at Guo Nu, his eyes filled with confusion: Are all the people in your group this...talented? Where did you pick him up?

Guo Nu's face twitched, but he said nothing. If not for losing so many old comrades and the uneven quality of the newcomers, why would I have even considered washing my hands of the mercenary business?

Soon, the one who made the suggestion noticed the Ravens around them looking at him.

Those blood-red eyes that had turned savage upon hearing his idea to torch the woods.

Countless dark Flying Birds rose and fell like a cloud, shrieking sharply in the dense woods, turning the man who made the suggestion pale.

"Want to start a fire?"

Xi Jiang sneered, offering a lighter. "You go."

The man shook his head repeatedly and took a few steps back.

"We have no choice but to launch a full assault."

After finishing his second cigarette, Guo Nu crushed the butt underfoot and made up his mind. "Let's attack together and take down that little bastard."

"Us?" Xi Jiang sneered. "On what grounds? After all these years apart, are you still dreaming you're the team leader?"

"You've seen the relic on that little bastard, haven't you?" Guo Nu looked up at him, his face expressionless. "Everything he has is yours; I don't want a single thing."

Xi Jiang was momentarily taken aback, then frowned. "Are you sure?"

"Mu En, come here!" Guo Nu called out loudly. Immediately, an old, emaciated man stepped out from the group. From the very beginning until now, he had not fought, always protected in the center, clearly a core member of the team.

Without waiting for Guo Nu's orders, he raised his hand, and a Phantom that seemed part dragon, part beast emerged from his palm. It opened its eyes, gazing at the two men before it. The moment the Phantom appeared, everyone fell silent.

This was the projection of the Xie Zhi, a terrifying creature known as an Abyss Witness and an arbiter of disputes among the great hosts of Hell. In its presence, no one could lie, and whatever they spoke would become an oath. Should they break it, they would be eternally subjected to the Abyss Curse.

Knowing the value of this moment, both men spoke their agreed-upon words, and the Phantom of the Xie Zhi vanished.

Mu En, however, seemed to have aged further, his body hunched as he was helped to the side.

"Are you satisfied now?" Guo Nu asked coldly.

"I couldn't be more so."

Xi Jiang burst into laughter. He gestured, and his subordinates opened a case, presenting a large, ferocious Lion Mask. Its mane flew about like crackling electricity, and its eyes were as fierce as a deity's.

As Xi Jiang fitted the Lion Mask to his face, his features suddenly became animated, as if he had truly transformed into a creature with the body of a man and the head of a lion, expelling two hot breaths through its nostrils.

"Let's go."

He laughed heartily, eager for action, and gestured for his subordinates. Together with Guo Nu's group, they entered the dense forest.

In that moment, Huai Shi, gasping for breath, abruptly opened his eyes.

They're here.

Just as he prepared to lie in wait, he felt a sudden tremor on his finger. The Ring of Nibelungen's minuscule darkness instantly collapsed inward, condensing into substance.

Nourished by Huai Shi's excessive vitality, the Ring of Nibelungen finally extended from the Mountain Ghost Stigma a Lower Miracle originating from the Yin Soul.

It was like fruit forming on a branch.

Almost reflexively, Huai Shi waved his hand and saw an ethereal shadow emerge from the darkness before him. It appeared as a faint, dim mist in the light, yet blended into the shadows where there was no light, making its outline hard to discern.

When he reached out to touch it, he felt nothing substantial, as if his hand could pass right through. Only a sensation of coolness, characteristic of negative Source Substance, enveloped his fingers as they seemed to pass into mist.

A complete Yin Soul, indeed, but it was far from as perfect as I had imagined.

Perhaps I shouldn't have compared this Yin Soul to my past self. Seeing this most rudimentary Yin Soul now, I can't help but feel some disappointment.

In terms of concealment and agility, it lacked nothing. Without the encumbrance of a physical body, it was even more flexible than I had ever been.

However, its offensive power was extremely weak. It had only one attack: to forcefully project its negative Source Substance. Sufficient for tormenting ordinary humans, perhaps, but useless for anything more.

Both its quantity and quality were impure, falling within the resistances of any First Stage Sublimator. Compared to my past self, whose immense accumulation could almost solidify into flame, this was much weaker.

As a scout, it wasn't too bad, but its actual combat prowess left much to be desired.

It possessed a Stigma but no Soul, no thought processes or judgment of its own. It could only carry out simple commands, like a robot that could walk and move things.

Just as Huai Shi felt a wash of disappointment, he sensed a sudden tremor from the Book of Fate. Instinctively, he drew out the book, followed its guidance, and slapped it onto the Yin Soul's head.

SMACK!

The two ethereal forms collided, and as the Source Substance flowed between them, a sharp, clear sound burst forth.

Immediately afterward, the silver Feather Pen·Event Branch flew out on its own, settling upon the Yin Soul's vague face and swiftly tracing features Huai Shi hadn't anticipated.

Pale skin, bloodless lips, and defiantly arched eyebrows.

As its eyes were sketched and opened, the Feather Pen·Event Branch dotted them with two points of eerie, will-o'-the-wisp green. The Yin Soul seemed to come alive, as if imbued with a Soul, lifting its gaze from Deep Sleep.

Its expression turned dark yet lively.

As if awakening from a long dream, unaware of its whereabouts, it soon grasped the essence of its own existence, its eyebrows raising slightly.

"So this is how it is..."

The man once known as Red Gloves nodded slowly, looked at Huai Shi, and bluntly asked, "Where is the enemy?"

"Right here."

After a moment of silence, Huai Shi smiled cheerfully, spreading his arms out to show the dark forest behind him and the approaching footsteps, now less distinct.

"Apart from you and me, everyone else is an enemy."

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