Chapter 167
The Mission of the Year
Arthur stepped forward calmly, his footsteps following the trail of heavy silence until his eyes landed on a group of people standing before Zhuo Fan.
They were Song's friends...
The brother and sister in particular stood facing Zhuo Fan, who was barely seated, his breathing still unstable.
(Song was the owner of the face that Zhuo Fan had previously taken during the Pill Competition, when he disguised himself as him after killing him.)
Arthur looked at the scene with a cold gaze, then let out a quiet sigh.
'Idiot... Wasn't I there? Why did he run away so quickly?'
Beside him, little Moon was innocently playing with the black serpent, Astaroth, unaware of the tension filling the area.
Some time passed...
During that time, Zhuo Fan completed what he had been trying to accomplish.
He swallowed the Buddhist Jade Liquid, and as its effects spread through his body, his strength returned and even increased, while his aura steadily rose.
Zhuo Fan slowly stood up, leaving everyone behind without a single glance back.
Arthur sighed, then followed him with calm steps.
"So... where to now?"
he asked in a low voice as he suddenly appeared beside Zhuo Fan.
A crafty smile appeared on Zhuo Fan's face. Then he took Yan Song's corpse out of his spatial ring, a new plan already forming in his mind.
Arthur did not comment.
"When you're finished, let me know. I'll go train over there."
he said calmly before moving a short distance away.
Little Moon sat not far from them, gently watching and playing with Astaroth.
Arthur smiled, then gestured toward the serpent.
Astaroth moved immediately at the signal.
"Aww, big brother, let me play with him a little!"
little Moon pleaded.
"Not now, little Moon. Astaroth needs to become stronger first."
Her expression fell with sadness.
Arthur sighed and gently placed a hand on her head.
"When I'm done, you can play with him as much as you want."
"Promise?"
"Yes... promise."
Her smile immediately returned.
Arthur stepped forward and took out one of the guards' corpses.
|It seems you obtained a huge prize this time, Arthur.|
'Yes... I didn't expect to obtain all these high-level corpses for my little Astaroth.'
|Astaroth is a spiritual beast that draws its power from the sun and the moon.
It has two sources of nourishment:
First: the corpses of powerful fighters.
Second: magical energy.|
Arthur smiled and placed the corpse before Astaroth.
The serpent's eyes sparkled with joy before it shot forward, entered through the corpse's mouth, and disappeared inside.
Arthur sat calmly before the corpse while simultaneously gathering the remaining magical energy.
After a short while, the corpse trembled slightly.
Arthur opened his eyes and discovered that nothing remained of the corpse except bones.
Astaroth had devoured everything.
*'It's true that I can extract magical energy using the Blood Demon Technique, but it stops working after some time...
Meanwhile, Astaroth can devour the energy even after an entire day has passed.
Therefore... taking the corpses was the better choice.'*
Arthur noticed that Astaroth's length had increased slightly.
He continued working, taking the remaining corpses.
Whatever energy he could extract was stored in special bottles.
Whatever he could not extract... he left for Astaroth.
Only two corpses remained.
He placed them before Astaroth.
If it devoured them, that would be good...
And if it could not, they would no longer be of any use afterward.
But what surprised Arthur—
was that Astaroth attacked the second corpse after more than two hours...
Then finished the third one as well.
Arthur looked at the serpent, whose length had now reached nearly thirty centimeters.
He smiled.
With a gesture of his hand, Astaroth moved swiftly and quietly coiled itself around Arthur's neck.
"Elder Jiu... you've come."
Arthur said in a low voice, directing his gaze forward.
The bushes rustled, and Long Jiu emerged along with his two disciples.
"Of course I came, brother... you asked me to with this letter."
Long Jiu took out the letter Arthur had left behind earlier without anyone noticing.
The two spoke for some time before Arthur pointed toward little Moon.
"Brother Jiu... you know how dangerous this world is, and how evil people can be.
I truly care about this girl.
So I hope you'll take her back with you to the Luo Family, look after her... and train her if possible."
Arthur clasped his hands before his chest and bowed slightly.
Long Jiu struck his chest, a sincere smile on his face.
"Don't worry, Brother Arthur... I'll take care of her as if she were my own granddaughter."
Long Kai stepped forward gently and began playing with little Moon.
Arthur watched them, and when he saw little Moon's smile return, he smiled quietly as well.
He told her to return with Long Jiu.
She refused at first...
But after many attempts, and the promise of many gifts and a spiritual beast of her own, she finally agreed.
Long Jiu smiled, offered Arthur a salute, and then departed.
Long Kai moved while carrying little Moon,
and they disappeared from his sight.
Arthur stood alone for a moment...
Then turned around.
He headed toward Zhuo Fan's location.
The one sitting before Zhuo Fan now was Yan Song...
But he was no longer the Poisonous Pill King Arthur knew.
He had become younger.
Arthur looked at him, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"So..."
"Yes... I'm finished.
I've brought Yan Song into the Luo Family."
Zhuo Fan said calmly, as though it were merely another calculated step within his plan.
Arthur gave him a brief look before asking in a steady tone:
"Is there anything else you want to do?
Or is it time to return?"
Zhuo Fan slowly shook his head.
"No... it's time to return, Arthur."
Before Arthur could continue—
A voice exploded inside his mind.
|New Important Mission
Mission: Enter closed-door cultivation for an entire year
Rewards:
– Increase in your strength as a result of the closed-door cultivation
– +10,000 points
– Additional reward
Time Limit: You have 30 minutes before the mission begins
Requirement: Remain in isolated cultivation for one full year
Failure: Eternal death|
Arthur's mind froze for a moment.
'Cain... you bastard, what kind of nonsense is this?'
|...|
'Cain?'
He called out again, but no response came.
It was as if the voice...
had disappeared.
As if the system had deliberately ignored him completely.
Arthur clenched his fist, then released a long breath, regaining his deadly calm.
At that moment, Zhuo Fan sensed something strange—
a hidden aura of hostility moving within the shadows, watching them from afar.
Arthur raised his head and stared into the empty space ahead.
"Zhuo... I'm leaving."
Zhuo Fan quickly turned toward him.
"Where?"
Arthur answered without hesitation, his voice as steady as a blade:
"I'll return... after a year."
He did not wait for a reply.
His body suddenly moved, as though the wind had swallowed him, and he vanished from Zhuo Fan's sight in the blink of an eye.
Zhuo Fan remained standing where he was,
shock clearly written across his face,
his eyes widened in disbelief.
An entire year...
and Arthur had disappeared without warning.
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