This matter wasnât finished yet. Those small fibrous roots pierced into the assassinâs body. As though they were regular roots, they began to suck on the flesh and blood of the assassin. In the blink of an eye, the assassin had actually disappeared from the spot.
Zhao Hai and the others were convinced that their eyes didnât play tricks on them. The assassin was actually gone, only leaving behind tattered clothes and an almost transparent piercing sword. He had completely vanished, not a single trace of skin, bone, blood, or flesh left behind. Completely gone, as if the person had never existed on this world.
The three looked at the spot blankly. After causing the assassinâs disappearance, one of the vines curled around that piercing sword and then vanished into the Spatial Crack.
That assassin was at least a Rank Eight expert. A Rank Eight expert was instantly sucked dry. Had Cai-er really caused the person to disappear in the blink of an eye? The fibrous root hairs didnât leave behind a single thing. Wasnât this too formidable[1]?
A thought flashed in Zhao Hai and the othersâ head. If that assassin wasnât a Rank Eight expert, then it wouldnât have been possible for him to hide from Green. A Rank Eight assassin that wanted too kill on purpose, not even Green would be able to escape.
Such strength, in front of Cai-er, simply vanished from the world. Not even a bit remained. Such a strength made Zhao Hai and the others scared in their hearts.
Zhao Hai turned his head to look at Cai-erâs adorable figure. He suddenly imagined that sheâd grown a tail and two sharp horns and became a little devil.
Cai-er looked at Zhao Haiâs appearance, puzzled. âHow is the Young Master? Whatâs wrong?â
Zhao Hai calmed down a bit and said to Cai-er, âCai-er, did you eat that assassin?â
Cai-er was still puzzled when she looked at Zhao Hai. âWhat does it mean to eat? He died, so he naturally became fertilizer. I am a seven-colored flower, so whatâs wrong with absorbing fertilizer? In the Devil World, after the magic beasts and other creatures die, then except for turning into undead they would try and attract my attention. They would even take the initiative and let me absorb them. Whatâs so strange about this?â
Zhao Hai was dumbfounded. With regards to Cai-er, it truly was what sheâd said. Her main body was that of a plant, and plants didnât know what was good or evil. They only desired to seek out nutrition in order to grow. Zhao Hai didnât want to tell Cai-er that what she did was wrong, because Cai-er herself didnât make any mistakes.
At this time, Shue of Ten-thousand Shadows discovered the death of the assassin and his complexion couldnât help but change.
That assassin had been sent by his employer to help him complete this task, so the commission he obtained was only 10,000 gold coins. For these 10,000 gold coins, he wasnât entrusted to take Zhao Haiâs life but to distract them and allow the assassin the opportunity to strike out and kill Zhao Hai.
Assassins werenât fools. To take a life for money yet die in the process wouldnât earn them anything. Shue of Ten-thousand Shadows had previously inquired about Zhao Haiâs strength before taking the assignment. Zhao Hai was at least a Rank Eight expert. Moreover, he had several Rank Eight experts by his side. If 10,000 gold coins was to be used to buy Zhao Haiâs life, then Shue of Ten-thousand Shadows wouldnât accept such an assignment. The risk was just too great.
The person who had hired him, however, had said that the 10,000 gold coins was just to attract Zhao Haiâs attention. As such, Shue of Ten-thousand Shadows accepted the task. Yet now the true assassin was dead. This was the same as saying they had failed their task this time around. Currently, he didnât want to remain and continue to go all out against Zhao Hai.
At this time, Zhao Hai walked out of Alien with Cai-er on his shoulder and Zhao Wen on his head. There shouldnât be any more worries.
As he left Alien, Zhao Hai saw Shue of Ten-thousand Shadows and his flying eagles. The shadows soon disappeared slowly. One by one, their numbers decreased until even the last Shue of Ten-thousand Shadows disappeared from the battlefield.
Zhao Hai was surprised for a moment. He immediately understood that originally, only the doppelgangers of Shue of Ten-thousand Shadows were present. The real body, however, was nowhere to be seen.
Green also witnessed the situation and turned towards Zhao Hai. âYoung Master, we cannot let him escape. If we let him escape, then outsiders will know of our situation.â
Zhao Hai nodded and ordered, âZhao Wen, find and capture him.â
Zhao Wen immediately complied and shifted a little, completely vanishing from her previous position.
Zhao Hai had understood what Green meant. If they let Shue of Ten-thousand Shadows escape today, then he would definitely let others know that Zhao Hai had other abilities such as earth elemental magic and the ability to command flying eagles. He would even let them know of the existence of Cai-er. All of this would naturally be exposed. These were cards Zhao Hai kept hidden in his hand, so he naturally didnât want to let Shue of Ten-thousand Shadows escape. It was better to not let others know of it.
Turning towards Cai-er, Zhao Hai said, âCai-er, arenât you going to take out that manâs sword? Go ahead and let me have a look.â
Cai-er complied immediately and the sword appeared in front of Zhao Hai. The materials used for the sword were very special. It seemed transparent and it didnât reflect light. Moreover, it was extremely thin and the sword was unexpectedly soft.
Zhao Hai took the nearly transparent soft sword. He couldnât believe that this world would have such a thing. Even on Earth, wanting to make such a sword of similar quality wouldnât be easy. In the end, how did they much such a sword here on the Ark Continent?
The appearance of the sword looked very sharp. Zhao Hai couldnât help but take the Ghost Cane and try to knock it against the sword. He wouldnât have thought that upon the two objects touching, the eyes of the skull on the Ghost Cane would flash with a red light. The skullâs mouth suddenly opened and bit the sword. Zhao Hai didnât respond fast enough and could only watch as it continued to bite into the sword. One bit after another, the sword was slowly eaten.
Zhao Hai and the others were dumbfounded. They didnât understand what was happening. At this time, Cai-er turned to Zhao Hai and said, âYoung Master, the Space has analyzed that the sword is made from some unknown animalâs bone. That animal bone isnât only sharp, but also hard, as hard as steel. It was eaten by the Ghost Cane, so now the Ghost Cane can transform into that sword at any time. Even if you donât want it to transform into a sword, you can now make the Ghost Cane either soft or hard.â
This was an unexpected surprise. Zhao Hai was overjoyed. Looking at Cai-er, he asked, âReally? Does the Ghost Can really have such an ability?â
Cai-er smiled. âIt didnât have such an ability in the past, but when Zhao Wen and I entered the Space, it naturally acquired this ability. As such, the Ghost Cane also gained that same ability. Haha.â
Overjoyed, Zhao Hai picked up the Ghost Cane. Looking at its appearance, one wouldnât see anything special. He could help but hold the Ghost Cane in two hands and try to bend it. He didnât expect that although it looked hard, the crystal-like Ghost Cane bent like a bow.
Zhao Hai gawked. He loosened his grip and the Ghost Cane returned to its original appearance. Zhao Hai picked up the Ghost Cane and tried to knock it against Alien. A ding-ding sound was heard, reflecting its hardness[2].
Zhao Hai nodded in satisfaction. The Ghost Cane could change according to his will and become soft or hard. Zhao Wen soon flew back from the distance, Shue of Ten-thousand Shadows grasped in her forelegs.
Before long, Zhao Wen arrived in front of Zhao Hai. She loosened her grip and threw Shue of Ten-thousand Shadows onto the ground before going back to her position atop Zhao Haiâs head. âYoung Master, this guy is really cunning. His main body was a thousand meters away from here. Moreover, he was hiding in the woods which made it really hard to find him.â
Zhao Hai smiled and said, âIf he was easy to find, then we wouldnât have needed our Little Wen to move personally. Say, Little Wen, what do you want to eat today?â
Zhao Wen had been eating the blue-eyed rabbits the Space produced, but she doesnât eat much. Moreover, the rabbits were really delicious and had become a favorite of Zhao Wen.
âRabbit!â Zhao Hai had expected such an answer. Zhao Went was more childish when compared to Cai-er. Cai-er, on the other hand, didnât have much contact with others so she appeared somewhat naive. Zhao Wen was instead closer to a human child.
Zhao Hai complied with Zhao Wenâs wish. He then turned towards Shue of Ten-thousand Shadows and saw that heâd fainted and wasnât dead. Zhao Hai turned towards Green and asked, âGrandpa Green, what should we do with him?â
Green was feeling somewhat awkward. Letting Shue of Ten-thousand Shadows live would mean he must keep the secret. Instead of that, they might as well just kill him, turning him into an undead as added security. With this thought, his eyes flashed and he said, âYoung Master, only a dead man can keep a secret. We must kill him.â
Zhao Haiâs heart was somewhat uncomfortable, yet he couldnât blame Green for being ruthless. He just wasnât accustomed to killing someone who didnât have the ability to resist[3].
At this time, Shue of Ten-thousand Shadows, who had been lying prone on the ground, turned over and was now kneeling before Zhao Hai. He said, âMister, please do not kill me. I am willing to become your slave. Mister, please forgive me.â
Zhao Hai and Green didnât think Shue of Ten-thousand Shadows would wake up so quickly. They looked at each other, then Zhao Hai turned towards Shue of Ten-thousand Shadows and asked, âBecome my slave? Are you sincere? Would you undertake a blood oath?â
Blood oaths were messy, and under a blood oath, one cannot violate their pledge. Otherwise, that person would be punished. This wasnât Earth where swearing was similar to eating a cabbage. Blood oaths could not be violated afterward, else the blood within their bodies will flow backward. In the end, they will die due to their heart rupturing[4].
Shue of Ten-thousand Shadows hesitated a bit, then clenched his teeth. He lifted his hand and bit his finger. This issued the blood oath on the spot. When Shue of Ten-thousand Shadows completed the blood oath, Zhao Hai felt a mystical connection between himself and Shue of Ten-thousand Shadows. Seemingly, it was like his connection with the undead. If Zhao Hai wanted him to live, he would live. If he wanted him to die, he would die.
Watching Shue of Ten-thousand Shadows give his pledge, Zhao Hai nodded and said, âAlright, follow me now. We will go back to Stony Mountain.â Turning around, Zhao Hai entered Alien.
Shue of Ten-thousand Shadows followed behind and was startled when he entered Alien. He hadnât thought that Alien would hide such an appearance. He didnât say anything, however, and just sat honestly behind Zhao Hai. He lowered his head and didnât dare to make a noise.
Notes:
-This chapter was MTLâed. Please leave a comment for constructive criticisms and advice. Thanks.
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-Please check out the Editorâs footnotes, thanks.