Chapter 25: Night Falls

[You have opened: Treasure Chest (Common), and obtained: Ghost Dew, Paradise Points × 500]

[Ghost Dew]
[Type: Consumable]
[Quality: Common]
[Effect: Instantly restores 30 points of Energy upon consumption. Applicable only to souls, ghosts, spirits, etc.]
(Note: If consumed by non-applicable entities, 1 energy point will be deducted per second for a duration of 10 seconds.)

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[You have opened: Treasure Chest (Rare), and obtained: Tiger Soul Ring, Paradise Points × 2900]

[Tiger Soul Ring]
[Type: Equipment - Ring]
[Quality: Rare]
[Durability: 100/100]
[Tiger Roar (Active): Consumes 15 energy points to summon a tiger projection, inflicting a 5-second Tiger Soul Terrify effect on the target area. Cooldown: 10 minutes]
[Equipment Requirement: Maximum Energy of 30 points]

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"I'll just have to sell the Ghost Dew. No telling if anyone can afford it during the probation phase." Seeing the recovery effect of the Ghost Dew, Chu Danqing noted that if not for the restriction, the recovery amount alone would have reached the Rare tier.

As for the Tiger Soul Ring, he put it directly onto his hand. His energy pool was originally only 25 points, but he still had the additional 10 points provided by the White Velvet Robe.

The only drawback was the ten-minute cooldown, meaning it could not be used as a routine method and was strictly suitable for catching enemies off guard.

"The Striding Tiger was an elite monster anyway, so this Tiger Soul Ring most likely contains a True Spirit." Chu Danqing planned to use it for now and check the effect of the True Spirit awakening once he returned to Paradise.

If it met his expectations, he would keep it; otherwise, he would sell it.

The main issue was the heavy energy consumption. Chu Danqing indeed possessed Energy Link, but he could not guarantee successful linking every single time.

The problem of energy value had always been his hidden vulnerability. Constrained by a lack of attribute points, he simply had to endure it.

Whether it was Life Link or Energy Link, his combat style of linking to enemies was inherently extremely dangerous. One careless mistake would result in losing the bait instead of catching the chicken.

He had many initial ideas and maneuvers, but all of them required sufficient attributes to back them up.

Moreover, every execution was no different from walking a tightrope.

Potential was there, but unearthing it required actual strength.

This brought up a dilemma: once he had the strength, why not choose a better path?

Why stubbornly obsess over flawed skills?

Therefore, he was contemplating whether he could find a more orthodox summoning-type skill upon returning.

After dealing with the treasure chests, he turned back to see Dabao drinking Monkey Wine to recover his energy.

During the combat, he had kept Tearing Claws active the entire time, maintaining a constant drain of 9 points per minute.

"How is your recovery?" Chu Danqing asked.

Dabao drained the Monkey Wine in one gulp and replied, "Done."

"Good, throw the head in," Chu Danqing instructed.

Guo Ming stepped in to stop him at this moment: "Brother Chu, wait a moment."

"The malevolent ghost barrier has not yet reached its peak. Why don't the three of us go down and investigate first?"

"Let's check the situation beforehand so we can be prepared."

Truthfully, Chu Danqing was not very keen on bringing Guo Ming down. While Guo Ming was not entirely helpless, if they encountered irresistible danger, Guo Ming would surely die without a doubt.

Chu Danqing could retreat directly, but Guo Ming could only await his doom.

Furthermore, even if an escape became necessary, Dabao would prioritize saving him rather than Guo Ming.

"Alright, but you are not coming down," Chu Danqing explained to him, "Otherwise, if an accident truly happens, all three of us won't be able to escape."

"If we leave you alone up here, and I run into trouble, you can still go to Yangxian County to fetch reinforcements."

Hearing this, Guo Ming opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Chu Danqing.

"I don't know what kind of person you are, but from your words and actions, it's clear your background is extraordinary. The reinforcements you can summon will definitely be stronger than me."

"It's not that I'm deliberately giving way to you, but rather that we each have our own duties."

Having said that, Chu Danqing gave Dabao a look. Dabao reached out and handed the head of Chan Master Yinke to the other man: "If I haven't returned within two hours, take this head and go to Yangxian County. Don't wait for me."

"Alright." Guo Ming did not hesitate or fuss about going down together; he agreed without any hesitation.

He knew that Chu Danqing's arrangement was the most appropriate one.

"If Brother Chu returns safely, I will definitely treat Brother Chu to a feast on the top floor of Chongyang Tower in Yangxian County," Guo Ming said with a cupped-fist salute.

Chu Danqing had no idea where Chongyang Tower was, but he didn't refuse either. Since someone was offering a treat, how could he decline?

After making preparations, Dabao was the first to climb down the dry well.

Fortunately, the well was not dug narrowly; even the Striding Tiger had been able to emerge from it, so Dabao could naturally fit down as well.

Perhaps it had been widened originally to make it easier for monks to enter and exit freely.

There were even footholds and handholds carved into the well walls for climbing up and down.

Chu Danqing slowly climbed down.

In fact, he had considered not descending himself, letting the Crossbowman and Dabao go down instead.

He could simply reap the benefits without effort.

The problem, however, was that Dabao had an intellectual impairment. While he was extremely professional at fighting and killing, he was truly incompetent when it came to investigation and searching.

Moreover, Chu Danqing following him down provided a guarantee—a safeguard to trigger a timely retreat and save Dabao's life.

Upon reaching the bottom of the well, Chu Danqing immediately felt a chilling aura wrapping around his entire body.

This chill was not the coldness of winter snow, but a much more bone-piercing sensory experience.

The bottom of the well was covered by a thick layer of snow. Scanning his surroundings with his gaze, he quickly spotted the entrance to an underground cave.

Without any sunlight reaching it, the area appeared pitch black.

Chu Danqing took out a flashlight and shone it directly inside.

The beam of light tore through the darkness, accompanied by a rushing sound, as if something was dodging the light of the flashlight.

"Dabao, is there anything inside?" Chu Danqing swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

Dabao nodded in response, activating Tearing Claws without hesitation. Blood-rage energy swirled around his body, primed and ready for action.

From the darkness, a somewhat bizarre ghost poked its head out, resembling an undeveloped infant.

Its entire body was covered in blood stains, and parts of its torso were already decayed, leaving bare bones exposed to the air.

More importantly, an umbilical cord extended from its belly button deep into the darkness.

It abruptly reached out a hand, pointed toward the mouth of the well, and flashed a grim smile.

Chu Danqing followed the direction of its finger and looked up at the sky.

In an instant, he understood what the entity was pointing at.

It was about to get dark.

Once darkness completely fell and the Striding Tiger—which kept them in check—was gone, these entities would be able to emerge from the bottom of the well.

The next moment, more similar ghosts emerged from the darkness. There were males and females, each varying in appearance and degree of decay.

The one thing they had in common was that all of their abdomens featured umbilical cords connecting back into the darkness.

"Let's head back first," Chu Danqing whispered softly. Dabao immediately grabbed Chu Danqing and clung to the well wall to ascend.

Taking advantage of the moment, Chu Danqing cast an Inspection skill on one of the ghosts.