Volume One, Chapter 13: As Long as You Spare Me, I Am Willing to Offer My Body!

The six were no strangers to that voice; in fact, it was somewhat familiar. Upon hearing it, a chill ran down their spines as the corresponding figure immediately sprang to mind, causing them to shudder involuntarily.

When they quickly turned toward the blood mist behind them, what they saw left them utterly dumbfounded.

“Gu Xinian, you’re not dead!”

“How did you manage to walk out of the blood mist unharmed?”

They screamed in disbelief, as if they had seen a ghost.

The middle-aged woman who had been instantly killed by the sinister moss-covered rock was right. The trial to the Nanshan Misty Subway Station was, in many ways, a battle royale. The spreading blood mist was more dangerous, terrifying, and lethal than any monster. Once tainted by it, the power of death would corrode the flesh, reducing it to bare bones, an irreversible path to demise.

If one found themselves trapped within the blood mist, death was inevitable.

These six had witnessed the blood mist’s advance with their own eyes. Some had foolishly failed to flee and were instantly reduced to piles of white bones—dead on the spot. The horrifying image of their flesh dissipating and life fading still sent shivers down their spines, drenched in cold sweat and haunted by fear.

That was why seeing Gu Xinian and Pang Haoyu alive and emerging unharmed from the blood mist filled them with shock and disbelief.

Yet, having endured the hardships of the novice trial and advanced to this second trial, their minds had matured. No matter how absurd the situation appeared, they quickly suppressed their emotions and regained composure. After all, they had already accepted the descent of gods and supernatural oddities; what else could faze them now?

They looked at Gu Xinian with wary eyes, but then their thoughts turned to the overwhelmingly powerful Corrupted Spear. Suddenly, a notion formed in their minds: Could Gu Xinian’s ability to walk out unscathed be thanks to that strange spear?

At this thought, their greed ignited anew. Once greed takes root in the heart, it grows uncontrollably. This is why once someone becomes addicted to gambling, it’s nearly impossible to stop.

If they could seize that bizarre spear from Gu Xinian, perhaps they could dominate this world in the future.

Who could resist such temptation?

As for Gu Xinian’s suffocatingly powerful strength, after hunting a few monsters as a team, they had regained confidence and courage—in short, they had become overconfident.

Without any further hesitation, the six exchanged glances. The mage was the first to unleash a talent skill, launching a direct attack on Gu Xinian. The warrior stepped forward, ready to clash head-on and draw aggro. The assassin vanished instantly, seeking an opportunity to strike. The hunter raised a weapon forged from a talent skill, preparing for ranged output alongside the priest.

The singer began their song, activating a talent skill to grant buffs to all teammates. The priest stood at the rear, vigilantly monitoring everyone’s status.

Sweat poured down Pang Haoyu’s face as he stood beside Gu Xinian, ready for battle. Despite feeling the crushing pressure, his expression remained resolute. Through all hardships, he would unwaveringly stand by Gu Xinian’s side.

If these were other adventurers, facing such a perfect team so early in the trial, they would surely have fled to avoid confrontation. Yet Gu Xinian remained calm. Though surprised that these six had formed a flawless all-class team, the situation was still under his control.

At the movement of his divine will, the still-active Corrupted Swamp began to spread outward at an astonishing speed.

Indeed, he had never dispelled the Corrupted Swamp. Only by keeping it active could he contend with the mighty, terrifying, and eerie blood mist.

Though the Corrupted Swamp was an area-of-effect S-rank talent skill without defensive properties, its range was such that if another area effect could not overpower it, then as its owner and caster, Gu Xinian standing within it was immune to any similar area effect.

Not to mention taking damage.

The downside was the enormous spirit power consumption. The Corrupted Swamp, as a persistent talent skill, required spirit power not only when cast but also to sustain its existence over time—consuming as much spirit power every ten minutes as during its initial release.

For a C-grade or below skill, that meant 5 points; for each rank above C, an additional 5 points were required. Thus, maintaining the Corrupted Swamp cost Gu Xinian 20 points of spirit power every ten minutes.

Fortunately, Pang Haoyu could restore health and spirit power early on; otherwise, unless Gu Xinian exploited some bug allowing attribute points to replenish spirit power, sustaining such a skill would be unbearable.

As for these six, though they formed a perfect all-class team, none possessed even a C-grade talent skill. Their attacks and tactics were utterly crushed before the Corrupted Swamp.

The mage’s attacks were the first to be corrupted, turning into viscous black liquid that drifted toward Gu Xinian, as if bowing to their “king.”

The next victim was the assassin. Counting on stealth, he had intended to silently approach Gu Xinian for a deadly strike. Yet before closing in, the rapidly spreading Corrupted Swamp engulfed him. The thick black liquid slithered like countless maggots up his legs and into his body.

Like the greedy souls before him, he was doomed to become yet another monster embraced by corruption. He looked at Gu Xinian with a pitiful expression, seemingly trying to beg for mercy, but it was too late.

Next to suffer was the warrior, second only to the assassin in proximity. As the assassin was corrupted, the warrior was soon engulfed as well. Yet in the face of life or death, his reactions were quicker and more adaptable than the assassin’s.

Tears streaming, he pleaded desperately, “No… please, spare me, Gu Xinian, great lord, I was wrong, I won’t dare again! I beg you, I don’t want to die!”

Even Pang Haoyu, who had just breathed a sigh of relief and was pleased to see Gu Xinian regain the upper hand, could not help but feel pity for him.

But Gu Xinian simply ignored him, as if he were air.

The hunter and singer’s lives were claimed in the next moments.

Only the priest, the farthest away, remained.

She was a stunning woman with a captivating figure and provocative attire. Trembling, tears streaming down her face, she knelt before Gu Xinian.

“Lord, please don’t kill me. They misled me, saying that with your spear I could dominate the world. I was blinded by greed!” she sobbed. “If I had any courage, I wouldn’t dare harm you! If you spare me, I will serve you faithfully!”

Desperately tearing at her clothes, revealing large swaths of snow-white, alluring skin, she seemed to be doing everything possible to prove her worth and win Gu Xinian’s mercy.

Yet he remained unmoved, as though she were invisible.

Like a drowning person thrashing in terror, hot liquid trickled down her pale thighs.

Death arrived, and she too could not escape the fate of becoming a corrupted monster.

The Corrupted Swamp had claimed six new sacrifices—excellent! But alas, the 15 experience points from those three monsters were not gained.

When it came to beauty, Gu Xinian cared more about enhancing his own strength.

Soon, however, his attention was drawn elsewhere.

During his brief skirmish with the six, someone—or rather many—had been deliberately luring an even greater number of monsters toward him.

More than all the monsters he had slain in the blood mist combined.