Feng Zikang’s face changed drastically, and without a second thought, he immediately activated the Shadowless Vanishing divine ability and retreated rapidly.

If even Luo Lianxin, who was at the peak of Qi Condensation, could not withstand the Aberrant Ghost General, what could he possibly do? Decisiveness dictated retreat was the best strategy; that was the true path of military strategy.

It seemed that both ghosts and demons held a certain probability of exhibiting the state of aberration.

However, usually, these aberrant monsters and ghosts were innate variants, possessing much greater strength than their common counterparts, establishing them as the kings among ordinary specters and fiends.

But this Ghost General, perhaps due to some unknown stimulus, had undergone a postnatal change, elevating its strength by a full tier—a level even Luo Lianxin’s cultivation struggled to resist.

With a sharp cry, Luo Lianxin repeatedly waved her wide sleeves, fighting while retreating. Countless streaks of silver light shot out from her sleeves, eventually coalescing into the spectral image of a massive, silver, barbarian giant wielding twin-bladed great axes. It roared repeatedly, countering the Ghost General.

This was the spectral divine ability achieved after reaching the thirtieth level of the Ten Thousand Slashes of the Barbarian Armored Host technique. Its power was immense, yet it still could not halt the Ghost General's advance. It swung its greatsword, and dense black miasma enveloped the silver barbarian phantom. The phantom roared in fury, yet it could only hack and slash wildly, as if blinded.

The Ghost General’s bone sword merely twisted, and the spectral image shattered into dust. The hundreds of damaged silver lights trembled weakly as they retreated into Luo Lianxin's sleeves.

With the sudden disappearance of the giant's phantom, Luo Lianxin seemed to suffer internal injuries as well. A thin thread of blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, her face pale as she staggered back several steps.

“That Junior Brother of mine! You must retreat quickly! This incident arose from my lack of foresight and has nothing to do with you; I will hold it off for a while…”

Luo Lianxin certainly possessed loyalty. Amidst her shouts, one or two muffled groans were heard; she had already been wounded by the surging black energy.

How could Feng Zikang not wish to retreat swiftly? He now regretted using his Instant Step divine ability so early. At his current speed, fueled by the Speed God Talisman, he couldn't outpace the one fighting and moving—one person and one monster—and couldn't create any distance even if he tried to flee in earnest.

He had not anticipated the Ghost General’s aberration; naturally, this was Luo Lianxin courting death on her own. It had nothing to do with him, and he had no intention of being used as collateral. He simply bolted toward the cave entrance.

“Hmph!”

Seeing that she could not shake off the Ghost General’s entanglement, Luo Lianxin snorted coldly, suddenly planting her feet firmly. She swept her hands apart, pulling out thousands of golden threads between her fingers, dense as a spider’s web.

The golden threads continued to surge from her fingers, forming a thick net that blocked the path between her and the Ghost General. Not only could the Ghost General’s physical body not advance a single step, but even the terrifying black energy surrounding it was halted behind the net, unable to permeate.

The golden threads extended continuously, tightly wrapping the Ghost General.

“That Junior Brother of mine, I will hold it off here for a moment; you hurry to the Moon Water Pavilion and find my Master…”

Luo Lianxin turned back to call out to Feng Zikang, urging him to leave quickly, but before she could finish speaking, she heard the sound of ripping silk!

“Chilala!”

The Ghost General, enraged at being blocked by the golden web, thrashed its hands violently, tearing through the bonds of the golden threads. It swung its greatsword, the black energy on the blade condensing into a single stream, slicing through a corner of the web with just one strike.

Luo Lianxin’s face turned ashen. The Golden Spider Thousand Threads Entanglement Divine Net was the strongest defensive divine ability she possessed. It was said that even a master at the peak of Foundation Establishment could not tear through this ensnaring defense in a short time, which was why she intended to use it to stall the Ghost General’s attack and allow Feng Zikang to seek rescue at the Moon Water Pavilion.

However, this divine ability had a major flaw: when activated, her feet rooted to the spot, making retreat impossible. If anyone could shatter the web quickly, it meant certain death for her. Who knew that the power of this Ghost General was no less than that of a peak Foundation Establishment expert!

“Senior Sister, then I…”

Feng Zikang naturally sensed that matters were taking a bad turn. Although he didn't know what divine ability Luo Lianxin was using, it was clearly her final life-saving trump card, yet it was being easily broken by the Aberrant Ghost General. He feared she wouldn't last long.

His plan, of course, was to beat a hasty retreat and rush to the Moon Water Pavilion to fetch Martial Uncle Xiao for rescue. After all, this was her precious disciple’s own instruction; he had a clear conscience.

But before he could finish speaking, he suddenly noticed the Star River Shuttle hanging at his waist flash with a glow. He hadn't registered it when he heard a strange burst of laughter from an unknown location.

The Ghost General abruptly raised its head, its eyes blazing with blood-red light.

“This is…”

Feng Zikang’s face changed drastically, and in his peripheral vision, he caught Luo Lianxin’s expression shifting between astonishment and gratitude.

“Laugh… Laugh at the World’s Most Absurd Person?”

This divine ability was activating on its own?

Feng Zikang’s first reaction was to grab the Star River Shuttle and immediately activate the Shadowless Vanishing divine ability.

Since that bizarre divine ability was already in motion, even abandoning and throwing away this demonic spirit treasure now would not change the facts. The Shadowless Vanishing divine ability was his only chance to escape; he absolutely could not pass it up.

His reaction was extremely fast, but the Ghost General was faster.

It had been standing behind the golden web. Provoked by the activation of the Laugh at the World’s Most Absurd Person ability, its body flickered, suddenly transforming into a stream of black mist, and in an instant, it lunged before Feng Zikang.

“Instant Step Art!”

Whether this fiend called it that or not, the effect was similar. Feng Zikang inwardly grimaced. Just a few days ago, he had relied on this technique to slay Little Gao; was he destined to fall victim to the same divine ability today?

Fortunately, his mind was quick, and his movements swift. The Shadowless Vanishing divine ability had taken effect, concealing his figure. The Ghost General drew its sword and looked around in confusion.

“That Junior Brother of mine! Why must you risk your life to save me? You are truly a chivalrous warrior of the military path! Be careful!”

Luo Lianxin’s legs were immobile, and her voice held a hint of weeping. This junior brother was someone she barely knew, someone she had exchanged few words with. Unexpectedly, he was now risking his life for her. Was he… was he the military chivalrous hero her Master spoke of, one who acts purely for righteousness, sparing no effort?

“Chivalrous my foot!”

Feng Zikang was almost driven mad with anger. He, the dignified incarnation of the Nameless Heavenly Demon, had been tricked by a sentient treasure, only to be mistaken for a selfless hero practicing righteousness! How could he endure such a slight!

While his figure remained concealed, Feng Zikang rapidly retreated toward the cave entrance.

The Ghost General was vastly different from the Earth Elemental Giants; it was not born of earth elemental power. Even if it followed him out of the cave, it would be fine. But outside, there were more people, and there would surely be ways to find help, as long as… his speed was sufficient…

Unfortunately, the duration of his invisibility was too short. Before he could run far, his figure reappeared. The Ghost General roared, its entire body transforming into black mist once more. With one stride, it leaped beside Feng Zikang.

Instant Step Art!

Unlike Feng Zikang, who only possessed the first level of the Instant Step Art enhanced by his armor and could only use it once a day, this Aberrant Ghost General was vastly powerful. How many consecutive steps could it use to pursue him?

How could he possibly escape!

Feng Zikang rolled on the ground, narrowly dodging the Ghost General’s fierce strike. Fortunately, while the black energy on the sword carried various negative effects, it was suppressed by the demonic seed within him, minimizing its impact. In an instant, he could activate Shadowless Vanishing again and narrowly escape death once more.

This time, however, the Ghost General paused, as if deep in thought. It pointed its greatsword forward, while its free, withered left hand continuously flexed and unflexed its fingers, as if calculating something.

“Damn it! This spectral thing has developed a brain!”

Feng Zikang cursed inwardly and immediately altered his escape trajectory.

It was calculating the position Feng Zikang would arrive at after turning invisible and fleeing!

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