Chapter 32: The Core of the Monstrosity

“Strength?”

The book, having fallen to the ground, gradually withered away, its purpose clearly spent. Yet, from its decaying form, a peculiar, profound aura emanated, merging directly into the clone’s body.

In the blink of an eye, the clone’s body underwent a drastic transformation. Its form began to shift, its once handsome, youthful face twisting grotesquely. Strange, monstrous limbs continuously erupted from its entire being.

Avanyin, who had been calmly sipping tea, watched the clone’s grotesque transformation with a flicker of confusion.

“Why did it turn out like this?” she wondered aloud. “Didn’t the power my sister left behind only replicate a person’s appearance?”

No one could answer Avanyin’s question, for Zhang Luan was equally clueless.

Regardless of their understanding, the creature before them hardly looked like something one could reason with.

Zhuxing Yan materialized over a dozen fiery sword blades and launched them at the monster, attacking with precision.

However, the creature shot out several bizarre tentacles, which collided with the blades of flame.

Zhuxing Yan’s intense heat scorched the tentacles, but the monster simply discarded the burning sections, instantly regenerating new ones.

Its status panel appeared in Zhang Luan’s vision.

[???]

Level: 1

Rank: 1

HP: 1

Defense: 1000

Resistance: 1000

Attack: 10000

Abilities: [Shell], [Devour], [Regenerating Tentacles], [Spirit Drain]

Zhang Luan’s brows furrowed as he observed the extremely unusual panel. He had never encountered such attributes before. An HP of 1 could not possibly be as simple as it seemed; if it truly had only one HP, Zhuxing Yan’s casual flames would have incinerated it moments ago.

Moreover, its resistance and defense were not particularly high, only its attack power was formidable, yet its HP remained a solitary one. This clearly indicated a problem.

Zhang Luan refrained from further action, allowing the creature to continue its mutations. Avanyin floated over from behind, gazing at the unsightly entity with utter bewilderment, completely at a loss as to why her sister’s power had manifested in such a way.

Finally, after the creature’s tentacles fully unfurled, its mouth, resembling a chrysanthemum, opened and closed rhythmically. It began to squirm its way forward. Zhang Luan pursed his lips, grabbed Avanyin’s hand, and instantly teleported to the descending staircase, where the horde of evil spirits remained, restless and eager.

He immediately deployed his Super Gravity Net, then unleashed a volley of shots with his Bow of Finality in Black Moon form, forcibly suppressing the evil spirits. With Avanyin in tow, he then began to run.

The squirming creature was incredibly fast. It leaped down from above, directly engulfing the evil spirits. Accompanied by pained roars, the spirits were instantly devoured.

“Ha, does this count as me having dealt with all the evil spirits?”

Avanyin considered it seriously, then nodded.

“Mm, they’re dealt with.”

Seeing her adorable reaction, Zhang Luan happily patted her head, which only left Avanyin looking puzzled, unable to fathom the meaning behind Zhang Luan’s gesture.

Zhang Luan had no intention of explaining himself. It was enough that he was happy.

Though the mutated spirit’s speed was considerable, Zhang Luan, bolstered by various buffs, was even swifter. He continuously led the monster in circles.

“I don’t understand. Why do you keep running?”

Avanyin couldn’t comprehend Zhang Luan’s actions. She passively floated in mid-air, pulled along by him like a kite.

They had already circled at least three or four times. Periodically, he would even stop to wait for the monster. Such actions seemed utterly pointless, yet he appeared to revel in it.

“That guy possesses no intelligence. Even if you mock it, it’s meaningless.”

“Mock it? No, no, it’s no fun mocking this stupid creature; it won’t get angry. I’m merely observing it. There are no monsters in this world without weaknesses, nor are there things that cannot be killed. If something seems unkillable, it just means I’m not strong enough yet.”

“Sister used to say that too.”

Avanyin’s face softened with nostalgia, as if recalling Avanyin. She offered a faint smile, her expression an exact replica of the Avanyin in Zhang Luan’s memories.

He couldn’t resist giving her cheek another pinch, much to Avanyin’s slight displeasure. Though she didn’t understand the meaning of Zhang Luan’s actions, a peculiar sensation always made her a little uncomfortable.

Zhang Luan paid no heed to her dissatisfaction. Who could blame him when she was so adorable? He simply couldn’t help but want to tease her.

After a brief moment of teasing the adorable, emotionless girl, Zhang Luan’s gaze returned to the blob-like tentacle monster. He had led the creature around this floor for two or three laps, using various methods to try and kill it during that time.

Yet, whether he severed all its tentacles with the Power of Genesis or enveloped its entire form in Zhuxing Yan’s flames, nothing could kill it.

The severed tentacles quickly regrew, and its burning body peeled away like a spider shedding its skin. This creature clearly showed no fear of any damage. If his guess was correct, the ability named [Shell] was likely at play.

If it had a shell, then surely it must have a core?

With this thought, Zhang Luan raised his bow to the sky, unleashing a barrage of arrows. The [Arrow Rain] skill, combined with the [Spiral] skill, rained down from above. The power of spiral arrows could ignore a certain degree of resistance and defense. If this creature truly had a core, it would undoubtedly protect its location.

As countless arrows flew, the monster extended its tentacles to intercept them. However, the combined suppression abilities of the Bow of Finality in [Black Moon] form and the Super Gravity Net greatly reduced the area it could truly defend.

Zhang Luan emptied his internal supernatural energy, his entire body emitting scorching steam. He watched the monster intently, not missing a single one of its movements.

Although this creature lacked intelligence, precisely because of that, its primal instinct compelled it to protect its most vital component.

“Found it.”

Zhang Luan had analyzed its interceptions over a hundred times, and nearly three-quarters of them were focused on defending the same spot.

Though it was a clumsy defense, that spot was its precise center, approximately ten centimeters above its chrysanthemum-like mouth.

“Tsk, I thought it would be somewhere more… special.”

Zhang Luan loosened his shoulders. While he had likely found its core, he currently lacked an effective way to penetrate its defenses. Although spiral arrows could pierce defenses, if the monster used all its tentacles to protect that single spot, he wouldn’t be able to kill it even if he exhausted all his supernatural energy.

Now, he could only wait for an opportunity.

Zhang Luan recalled a saying from his archery mentor in his previous life.

“One shot, one kill, no mercy. These eight words don’t just apply to assassins; they apply equally to archers. Because many times, you only get one chance to strike.”

“One shot, one kill, no mercy.”

Repeating these eight words, Zhang Luan turned and resumed running. Although the battle with this creature hadn’t lasted long, dragging it out would ultimately be to his disadvantage.

Given the circumstances, perhaps something a little more reckless would prove more effective.

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