We agreed to seek enlightenment together, but how did you end up seeking enlightenment for my mother

Xu Zhou did not accept the other party's proposal.

He was genuinely curious about what kind of cage he was trapped in in the other person's eyes.

But at least he is conscious now.

Can freedom gained after a mental breakdown still be considered true freedom?

The tug-of-war with the Thousand-Eyed Soul-Stealing Demon continued, but Xu Zhou was becoming more and more adept at it. The pain had not lessened, and the torment of his body being torn apart was still real, but he was gradually getting used to the feeling.

This may be the effect of the upgraded Clear Mind and Bright Vision, with increasingly strong mental resistance, to the point that under high pressure, the consciousness almost leaves the body, looking down at oneself from the void, like a calm bystander, strange and eerie.

[Gained Feat: Warlock +1]

[Current Specializations: Specialist 5, Support 5, Caster 1, Guard 1]

[Obtain an inspiration; it will come in handy at the right time.]

When the option of "turning rotten wood into flowers" appeared for the fourth time, the loss of reason came to an abrupt halt, and the needle-like pain in his head vanished instantly.

When vision returned, the bright moon hung high in the night sky, and the village was as quiet as ever, as if everything that had just happened was nothing but an illusion.

Xu Zhou took a deep breath. He had never felt so refreshed. Every cell in his body seemed to have undergone some kind of sublimation. He almost rolled his eyes from the pleasure on the spot.

This is the extreme pleasure that arises when the body's hormones have not yet recovered in sync after the extreme pain has subsided.

"What about his belongings?"

Within his sea of ​​consciousness, all notifications regarding refining relics and absorbing essences had fallen silent, and no entries related to the Thousand-Eyed Soul-Stealing Demon could be found in his personal status bar.

"They ran away?"

Xu Zhou was somewhat incredulous.

He actually drove away a relic even more powerful than the regional overlord? All by himself?

Aside from his personal will, the most crucial variable that brought all this to fruition was undoubtedly the transformation of a rotten tree into a flower.

"She's such a supermodel..."

If this were a game, Xu Zhou would definitely give it a bad review without hesitation, given such an overpowered talent.

What?

Am I the holder?

That's all!

Slumped on the ground, with slightly sharp weeds beside him and the occasional chirping of insects echoing in his ears, Xu Zhou took a deep breath, savoring the unique grassy smell of the country road, and sighed from the bottom of his heart.

"It's so good to be alive!"

He paused slightly, then added in a low voice.

"I hope this is the last time I gamble with my luck."

whoosh-

Snapped!

A sharp arrow suddenly grazed his cheek and embedded itself straight into the grass in front of him, its fletching trembling.

Xu Zhou turned around abruptly, his pupils shrinking.

A group of undead creatures had quietly gathered around them. Several skeleton archers were drawing their bows and aiming again, followed by several green-skinned zombies whose murky eyes glowed eerily in the night.

Without a second thought, Xu Zhou rolled on the spot, barely avoiding the second wave of arrows.

He instinctively grabbed the spear and tried to get up to fight, but as soon as he put his legs up, his body suddenly lost strength and he fell to the ground.

The tug-of-war with the Thousand-Eyed Soul-Stealing Demon in the mental world had already drained his physical strength, and coupled with the muscle loss due to excessive stress, he couldn't even lift the spear at this moment.

As the third wave of arrows was about to leave the bow, a sense of absurdity welled up in Xu Zhou's heart.

"I'm not afraid of top-tier relics with self-awareness, yet I'm destined to die at the hands of these weakest undead?"

Zhenyan's hair was too fine, and he couldn't control the angle with perfect precision. At this moment, Xu Zhou was already prepared to take a few arrows and use the golden thread to pull himself back to the room.

"As long as I can get to that place...!"

However, before the bowstring could be released, a dark figure suddenly darted out from the side, so fast that it only left a fleeting afterimage in Xu Zhou's eyes, instantly smashing the skeleton archer into pieces.

boom!

The undead creatures' hatred was instantly absorbed, and the other skeletons fired arrows one after another, but the shadow simply waved his hand, and the arrows exploded in mid-air before they even got close, scattering fragments all over the ground.

"Wuluru!"

Xu Zhou shouted excitedly.

However, the other party ignored him, so the girl folded her arms and let out a long howl.

"Awooo—!"

It was only at this moment that Xu Zhou noticed that Wu Lulu's body had undergone subtle changes. She was wearing a bathrobe and it was not very clear what she was wearing, but her exposed hands and feet were noticeably thicker and her skin was covered with a layer of light blue short hair.

Those legs resembled wolf paws, with broad soles and sharp claws that gleamed coldly.

Even his height seemed to have increased by a foot out of nowhere, making him taller than him.

This...this is a transformation?

Xu Zhou was puzzled, but he obediently shut his mouth, secretly praying that the other party still retained human reason.

Wu Lulu suddenly turned her head, her eyes bloodshot, leaving two scarlet trails in the night.

"Hahaha! Kill!!!"

Bang bang bang!

The girl was incredibly fast; in just one round trip, she slammed several zombies into the air and blasted them apart—literally, in an explosion.

Internal organs and intestines were scattered everywhere, and blood, flesh, and bones were strewn all over the ground.

Xu Zhou stared blankly at the scene, not daring to breathe. He had long known that Wu Lulu had never shown her full strength in front of him. Just this speed alone was something that Zhenyan's hair could not catch up with.

In the blink of an eye, all the undead creatures that had invaded the village were wiped out, but Wu Lulu did not stop. Her gaze then fell on Xu Zhou.

Feeling that gaze, as if scrutinizing prey, Xu Zhou couldn't help but feel immense pressure, and a chill crept down his back.

He even threw away his spear, fearing any misunderstanding.

It's obviously more unacceptable to die at the hands of your own teammates than at the hands of regular soldiers.

"Kill...kill...kill...!"

Wu Lulu approached with heavy steps, each step making her aura increasingly fierce. Eventually, her killing intent almost solidified, distorting Xu Zhou's vision and making his mind dizzy.

Rationality -1.

Seeing that the other person was about to reach him, Xu Zhou had no choice but to bite the bullet and speak, trying to awaken his teammate's compassion.

"Wu Lulu, are you alright?"

"Witch... Lulu..."

The red-eyed girl frowned slightly, then stopped and glared down at Xu Zhou.

"Ah, it's you, you smooth-talking male."

"Well……"

Xu Zhou was at a loss for how to react. He could recognize his own name, but his personality had completely changed. He didn't know if the other person had gone mad or not.

He forced himself to continue:

"Thank you, you've helped me again."

"We're even now, just for tonight."

"Your eyes and body..."

"None of your business."

As soon as she finished speaking, Wu Lulu began to circle around Xu Zhou, scrutinizing him closely, just as she had when they first met.

Xu Zhou was bewildered by this inexplicable reaction, but dared not make any rash moves, so he could only observe the other party in the dark.

At this distance, he could even clearly see the pair of ferocious-looking claws and the thick legs covered in short hair, as if a human had forcibly attached the limbs of a beast, which was also the reason why the other party was taller than him.

The graceful body paired with the wild limbs creates an eerie contrast.

What's even more bizarre are her crimson eyes, completely different from her original light blue pupils, which adds a touch of cold, mature womanly charm to her.

After circling around twice, Wu Lulu returned to Xu Zhou, displaying an indifferent expression.

"Hmph... Her appearance is passable, but unfortunately her constitution is too poor, she's not my type."

Xu Zhou gave an awkward laugh, pretending not to understand.

Then Wu Lulu stretched out her finger and pointed it straight at the tip of his nose, her tone cold and her words leaving no room for doubt.

"This is the final warning. If you dare touch my body again, I will kill you!"