I run a Taoist temple in a bizarre world.

Chapter 114 Enter

Chapter 113 Enter

Chi Le, who was at Qingshan Temple, had a clear view of the performance of the "body outside body" by the Shuijing Lake.

"According to the Special Affairs Bureau's records on unranked demons, the [Black-haired Jumping Rat] is a demon with high attack and low defense."

"The leaping attack after full charging is among the strongest of all the recorded unranked demons."

"Judging from the fact that the [Body Outside the Body] was completely unprepared and simply used its body to block the full-force attack of the three [Black-haired Jumping Rats], it's clear that..."

"The current physical strength of the [External Body] is already among the top in the pre-ranking level."

"This proves that my mental strength is not low either."

Although Chi Le had anticipated that his mental strength was not low, it was not as low as that of other spiritual masters who had just awakened their spiritual supernatural abilities.

But even Chi Le didn't expect that his mental strength was not only not low, but rather frighteningly high.

Long-term use of the [Spirit Nourishing Hairpin] gently nourishes spiritual energy, slowly increasing its strength.

And this mental strength was slowly increased through gentle means from the very beginning.

When using the [Awakening Incense] at the training camp, Chi Le gained a significant advantage.

The effect of 【Awakening Incense】increasing mental strength depends on the time the user spends in the mental illusion it creates.

The longer the mental illusion lasts, the longer the user can immerse themselves in it.

The more the "Awakening Incense" enhances mental strength, the better.

With the help of the [Spirit Nourishing Hairpin], Chi Le has significantly improved his mental strength.

His long-term use of the [Spirit Nourishing Hairpin] allowed him to unleash a powerful burst of energy when he first used the [Awakening Incense].

In the mental illusion created by the "Awakening Incense".

Chi Le persisted for much longer than the other spiritual master trainees at the training camp.

Compared to them, Chi Le, who persisted for a longer period, must have gained a greater boost from the [Awakening Incense].

The greater the boost from each use, the longer the effects of the [Awakening Incense] will last.

It was as if Chi Le and the group of pre-training spiritual masters at the training camp were competing to see who could roll the biggest snowball.

Everyone else rolls a snowball the size of a fist down the slope.

When you reach the bottom of the slope, you may only be able to roll a snowball that is about the height of your calf.

Chi Le, before he even started rolling his snowball downhill, appeared on the same starting line with a huge snowball that reached his knees.

Although it's a bit of an exaggeration, this reflects the difference between Chi Le and the other Divine Sense Master trainees at the training camp.

With the help of the [Spirit Nourishing Hairpin], he nurtured his spiritual power at a very early stage, laying a good foundation.

In addition, the powerful mental strength enhancement effect of the [Awakening Incense] allowed Chi Le's already strong mental strength to snowball and receive a powerful boost.

The combination of these two factors allowed Chi Le to possess the strength of a top-tier player even before reaching a certain rank, as soon as he awakened his extraordinary abilities.

"Perhaps, we can start preparing the materials for the ritual of advancing to the next rank."

Recalling the large amount of information that appeared in his mind when he first awakened his ability, Chi Le fell into deep thought.

"It mentions several new ability effects; which one should I choose? They all seem pretty good."

And beside the crystal lake.

With its skull shattered and most of its head a bloody mess, it was impossible to tell that it had previously been an "external body" of a "black-haired jerboa".

After confirming that the Black Furry Rat in its hand was a lifeless corpse, it casually tossed it aside like trash.

After clapping its hands in a human-like manner, it walked towards the grass and bushes with pairs of trembling red lights.

The orders given by Chi Le have not yet been completed.

It will kill all the demons that appear before it!

Meanwhile, on the other side...

Zhang Guanghai and others were discussing how to proceed.

"As you all know, my abilities are not well-suited for dealing with groups of demons and evil spirits."

"You two are only at the unranked level, so dealing with so many monsters of the same rank will be quite troublesome, not to mention that this is a group of monsters composed of [Black-haired Jumping Rats]."

Zhang Guanghai picked up the black-haired jerboa that was already dead at his feet.

The corpse bounced and rolled on the ground, heading towards the bushes and grass with pairs of glowing red eyes.

Finally, it stopped in front of a clump of bushes.

Then the bushes began to shake violently, as if some kind of struggle was taking place inside.

Many leaves fell as they trembled.

Looking at the corpse on the ground, it had long since been dragged into the grass by other black jerboas and eaten clean.

Zhang Guanghai withdrew his gaze from the scene he had been watching the entire time and said.

"This time is different from the previous situations when facing groups of monsters; we cannot fight and retreat at the same time."

"To obtain the [Spirit-Nourishing Vine], you must take the initiative to go there."

He pointed to a patch of deep blue surrounded by pairs of red lights.

The light emitted by the Spirit-Nourishing Vine was quite conspicuous in the eerie mist.

"If we launch a frontal assault, there will definitely be no problem at the beginning, but as we go deeper..."

"As spiritual masters, you two could easily get injured when facing a demon that relies on speed."

"You know the consequences of getting injured in a horde of demons that surrounds you."

Obtaining the [Spirit-Nourishing Vine] won't be that easy—

He felt a strange sense of déjà vu about the current situation where he was at a loss as to how to deal with the horde of monsters.

"What Brother Zhang said makes no mistake."

He Xiaoxiao picked up the conversation, twirling the end of her hair next to her cheek with her fingers.

"Given our current overall strength, it would indeed be difficult to obtain the [Spirit Nourishing Vine] without taking any damage."

"Brother Zhang's ability, [Boiling Blood Death], is an explosive type of attack. It has a great advantage against single demons of the same level, but it is somewhat inadequate when facing groups of demons."

"My ability, [Sticky Flower Touch], can only grab two [Black-haired Jumping Rats] at a time. Any more and it will break."

"Wang Haojing's [Traces] ability is basically only used for reconnaissance, much like an ordinary person. It's not very useful in combat," He Xiaoxiao murmured, pondering how to better obtain [Spirit Nourishing Vine].

"Just say what you want to say, don't attack people—"

Wang Haojing quietly retorted from the side, trying to regain some of his momentum.

"Ah, okay, your ability can also help us detect danger in advance and avoid sneak attacks, but—just dodging isn't a solution."

Her finger pointed to the [Spirit-Nourishing Vine], which was enveloped in pairs of red eyes.

"If the materials are inside and you keep avoiding them, the black-haired jerboas will gather in greater numbers, making them even harder to deal with."

Wang Haojing squatted down, picked up the tree branch he had collected, and scratched the soil on the ground.

First, draw a fan shape with a center circle, and then draw three small circles outside the fan shape.

Finally, add thirty or forty dots within the fan shape.

The fan shape represents the area where the [Black-haired Jumping Rat] exists, and the center of the circle represents the location where the [Spirit-Nourishing Vine] is stationed.

The small dots in the fan shape represent the locations of the black-haired jerboas that he detected.

The three small circles naturally represent the three of them.

The branches are placed in areas where the smaller dots are not so dense.

"This area is where the Black-haired Jerboa are relatively rare. The surrounding area is full of rocks and bushes, which is where the Black-haired Jerboa like to stay."

"If we go around it, it will take a lot of time, and there's not much time left until dawn."

"In other words, this path is the only way to obtain the [Spirit Nourishing Vine]."

"But taking this route is like jumping into their encirclement; you'll be facing a lot of black jerboas."

Wang Haojing drew a route along the smaller area where the dots were distributed.

The branches touched it repeatedly.

He raised his head and looked at Zhang Guanghai. Although there was resentment on his face, his voice was firm.

"Brother Zhang, I can't do it anymore, maybe next time."

Zhang Guanghai stroked the stubble on his chin, his eyes scanning back and forth between the flickering red lights in the darkness not far away.

Suddenly, he raised his thick eyebrows and laughed.

"We don't necessarily have to launch a full-scale attack, nor do we necessarily have to go around it."

"I told you two to read more materials regularly, but have you actually read them carefully?"

"Um?

"ah?

He Xiaoxiao and Wang Haojing exchanged a glance and then simultaneously expressed their doubts.

"Brother Zhang, I don't quite understand what you mean."

Faced with their doubts, Zhang Guanghai patiently explained.

"Although black jerboas are social creatures and are accustomed to moving in groups, they have a very weak concept of kinship."

"In addition, they are low-level demons, so their diet is very diverse."

"You mean—"

He Xiaoxiao's eyes lit up.

"Does Brother Zhang intend for them to kill each other?"

Having guessed Zhang Guanghai's possible thoughts, He Xiaoxiao immediately realized something was wrong.

"How can you make them just kill each other like this?"

"Smart! Not entirely correct, but the final result isn't that different."

Zhang Guanghai lowered his voice.

"I can't do anything if we just let them kill each other for no reason, but it's easier to do if we treat them as small groups and let them kill each other."

"Viewed as a small group?"

He Xiaoxiao was getting more and more confused. What kind of medicine was Brother Zhang selling?

Zhang Guanghai did not offer an explanation at first, but instead walked directly toward the red light emanating from the [Black-haired Jumping Mouse].

Upon seeing someone approach, a black-haired jerky mouse seemed to trigger some underlying code.

He leaped out and crashed into Zhang Guanghai's chest.

With Zhang Guanghai's first-level strength, he could easily catch it.

With one hand, he gripped the head of the black-haired jerboa tightly, while with the other hand, he punched its head.

A crisp cracking sound rang out, and the black-haired jerboa died instantly.

Carrying the rat carcass, Zhang Guanghai returned to He Xiaoxiao and Wang Haojing's side before explaining.

"Hey, watch carefully."

Reminding the two to look carefully, Zhang Guanghai threw the rat carcass in his hand towards the area marked by Wang Haojing where there were fewer [black-haired jerboas].

Thud, the rat carcass rolled on the ground.

Before it could stop, a black jerboa dragged the carcass into the bushes.

Then, the bush began to shake violently.

"Haojing, explore the area you designated again."

"Huh? — Oh."

Wang Haojing, who was squatting on the ground, immediately extended his mental energy along the route he had just taken.

"this----"

Wang Haojing felt the feedback from his probed spiritual power and excitedly stood up from the ground.

"Brother Zhang, there are fewer black-haired jerboas in that area!"

Zhang Guanghai laughed, looked at He Xiaoxiao, and said.

"If we collect some rat carcasses first, then He Xiaoxiao, you can use [Sticky Flower Touch] to lift them to a location far away from us and place them there, thus diverting most of them away."

"For the rest, let Wang Haojing's reconnaissance skills help us avoid—"

At this moment, He Xiaoxiao understood Brother Zhang's thoughts.

"A diversionary tactic combined with a feint attack?"

He Xiaoxiao also laughed.

"Brother Zhang, your plan is as simple as the fruit I used to steal from my neighbor when I was a kid."

"A good plan is one that can safely obtain the [Spirit Nourishing Vine] when dealing with demons."

Unlike the two who were meticulously planning their conversation, Wang Haojing, who couldn't understand a word they were saying, was diligently drawing simple sketches on the ground.

Zhang Guanghai said solemnly.

"However, we still need to be careful. There's still time. We only have one chance. If we fail, the three of us will face [Black-haired Jerboas] from all sides —"

He didn't say anything more, but his meaning was clear.

So the three of them whispered and went over the details of the plan for another ten minutes to make sure there were no major flaws.

The three of them were itching to get started, ready to make a big splash.

"Wait."

Zhang Guanghai, who had approached a bush, suddenly raised his hand, a look of confusion on his face.

"Something's not right, Wang Haojing!"

Upon hearing the shout, Wang Haojing instantly understood what Zhang Guanghai meant.

He immediately extended his mental energy to probe the surrounding situation.

At this moment, He Xiaoxiao also noticed that something was wrong.

The red dots in the grass and bushes have disappeared.

At this moment, Wang Haojing also spoke up.

"Brother Zhang, all the black jerboas in the vicinity have disappeared!"

Not far away, hidden in the eerie mist, in the area circled by Wang Haojing.

The previously flickering, star-like red light has now completely disappeared, and not a trace of red light can be seen anymore.

It was as if it had been erased by an invisible eraser.

There was no fierce fighting, no screams, only an unsettling silence.

"Something is eradicating them!"

Wang Haojing's throat felt a little dry.

"What is it? I haven't been able to detect anything!"

The eerie mist floating all around seemed to be mixed with some heavy substance.

The three of them felt a sinking feeling in their hearts.

"The plan—should we still proceed according to the plan?"

He Xiaoxiao asked in a low voice.

Zhang Guanghai pondered for a moment, then gritted his teeth and made his decision.

"Go! Whatever it is, this is the best chance to obtain the [Spirit-Nourishing Vine]!"

"Having obtained the [Spirit-Nourishing Vine], it's almost dawn. If I just hold on a little longer, I can return directly to the mortal world and ascend!"

The three of them made up their minds and immediately ran towards the dark blue area along the shortest route to the [Spirit Nourishing Vine].

During this time, all three of them were on edge.

Zhang Guanghai was always ready to use [Boiling Blood Death]. As soon as an anomaly occurred, he would activate it without hesitation and then retreat quickly with the two of them.

He Xiaoxiao had already summoned two invisible spiritual hands, ready to act at any moment.

Wang Haojing, on the other hand, fully utilized his detection capabilities, remaining vigilant for any changes in his surroundings.

However, it went surprisingly smoothly.

They encountered no obstacles whatsoever, and nothing unexpected happened.

The three of them successfully reached the edge of the [Spirit Nourishing Vine].

"arrive!"

Wang Haojing's voice was filled with joy.

In the eerie mist, the Spirit Nourishing Vine, with its blue-purple foliage and winding tendrils, was radiating a mesmerizing blue light.

The moment Zhang Guanghai carefully plucked the [Spirit Nourishing Vine].

His heart felt like it was being gripped by something, and an oppressive force that seemed to be pressing him to the ground came from all directions.

Zhang Guanghai didn't need to go to great lengths to find out where the oppressive aura came from.

"Phew~"

A deep, long, and powerful shout rang out to their right front.

The three of them turned their gazes toward each other.

A white-browed tiger, as big as a truck, stood in the distance, its head facing in another direction.

"Damn it! It's the Mountain Lord of Juhu Mountain, a third-tier demon!"

Zhang Guanghai's face turned deathly pale instantly. He suppressed the trembling in his heart and whispered to the two people who had been overwhelmed by his power.

"Run before it notices us!"

"Run as far as you can, just hold on until dawn!"

He pointed to the horizon, which was already showing signs of light.

Just then, Zhang Guanghai felt a gaze upon him.

Praying that it wasn't the worst-case scenario, Zhang Guanghai slightly raised his head, just in time to meet the gaze of the mountain lord.

"roar!"

After a tiger's roar, the mountain lord charged towards the three of them.

I've never seen such speed before!

The nearly 200-meter distance is rapidly disappearing!

"It's over!"

Only one thought arose in Zhang Guanghai's mind.

Just as the mountain lord, accompanied by a fierce wind, was about to completely cross this short distance of 100 meters...