Chapter 445: A Chinese Ghost Story: The Scholar
The burning torch gradually extinguished.
The Ghost Tree Demon stopped moving, its trunk riddled with holes, completely devoid of any signs of life.
"The Ghost Tree Demon has incredibly high resistance to energy. My Radiant Spear's burn damage was pitifully low—most of the damage came from the piercing itself,"
Borsalino explained, analyzing the information transmitted from the spear he had thrown.
Even the most powerful hellfire—being an energy-type skill—was ineffective against the Ghost Tree Demon.
Akainu's lips twitched, but he said nothing, his face visibly darkening.
If even the territorial guardian, a mere Ghost Tree Demon, could resist his Hellfire—
Then the energy resistance of the dark-gold-tier boss [Tree Demon Matriarch] would surely be even greater. His most powerful Hellfire Demon ultimate might not be more than a tickle.
Smoker picked up on the key issue and frowned. "Something's wrong. The earlier scout reports from Navy Intelligence didn't say anything about the Ghost Tree Demon having such high energy resistance."
That could only mean some special factor was causing the abnormal resistance.
"Found it!"
Orochimaru suddenly looked up, golden serpent eyes flashing with excitement.
His surviving necrotic curse snakes had relayed information—he had found a unique structure tied to the Tree Demon's territory.
The Navy Alliance team moved quickly,
Closely following the Pathfinder Titan to avoid getting disoriented and lost in the black mist.
Soon,
A dense forest came into view.
A once-abandoned county town had been completely overtaken—or rather, devoured—by the forest.
Massive tree branches had shattered rooftops and pierced buildings, while roots ruptured the ground like claws gripping the entire town.
[Guobei County (Abandoned)]: Boss territory occupied by the Tree Demon Matriarch. Entering will trigger a battle.
"We're not even close, and I can already sense thick demonic energy. The scout intel was accurate—the Tree Demon Matriarch is definitely a dark-gold-tier boss."
Garp furrowed his brows.
Perception had been suppressed by the black mist. Normally, it should've been impossible to sense anything from hundreds of meters away.
Yet the demonic aura was so overwhelming that it pierced through the black mist and was picked up by his [Martial Heart]—so intense it made a cold sweat break down his back.
"Look! There's a living person in Guobei County..."
The dark mist around the forest was thinning, allowing the Navy team to clearly see inside the town.
Following the voice, they turned their eyes—and were immediately frozen in place.
At the center of the roaming Ghost Tree Demons stood a thin young man.
He wore a faded, worn scholar's robe and carried a bamboo backpack filled with rolled-up ledgers, some of them spilling out.
A white mask covered his face, concealing his identity. His entire appearance resembled a traditional scholar.
[Ning Caichen (Corrupted)]: One of the possible fate outcomes from the world of A Chinese Ghost Story. Originally a favored child of destiny, now fallen and reborn as the [Demonic Robe Scholar].
Special Trait: Demonic Robe Scholar drastically enhances the energy resistance of dark creatures within boss territories.
Note: Killing this creature within the Black Mist World will prevent its awakening in A Chinese Ghost Story, reducing the difficulty of the main quest.
"So that's the reason!"
Orochimaru's eyes glinted—he had already figured out why the Ghost Tree Demon's energy resistance had become so strong.
The team didn't hesitate. They immediately began preparations to hunt the [Demonic Robe Scholar] born from Guobei County's corruption.
"A world like A Chinese Ghost Story, once fully corrupted, even the River of Fate can't escape…"
Fang Yi shook his head in frustration.
In worlds that weren't completely polluted, the Tree Demon Matriarch might still appear—but only as a default villain. She would fall easily once corrupted.
But once the River of Fate itself was corrupted, things changed.
Not only would a Tree Demon Matriarch emerge, but entire fate timelines would warp and shatter.
Like in the original story, where scholar Ning Caichen escaped with his life—
Here, pollution disrupted the timeline. Ning never met the demon hunter Yan Chixia. Instead, fear drove him to flee alone. Though he later passed the imperial exam and became a high-ranking official, memories of Lanruo Temple and Nie Xiaoqian haunted him like a nightmare.
In the end, he was driven mad and succumbed to darkness—transforming into the [Demonic Robe Scholar].
"If the Navy team had recklessly charged into the world of A Chinese Ghost Story, they'd be facing more than just the Tree Demon Matriarch..."
"Demonic Robe Scholar, Ghost-Faced Warrior, Taoist of the Demonic Heart, Wedding Gown Specter—all of them would appear."
Thankfully, the Yomi Quest, which required players to help spirits fulfill lingering wishes, had subtly taught players to seek story-driven solutions.
Otherwise, if Garp had led a blind charge, this group of top players might've been wiped out on the spot.
"Earth Dragon—Demon Seal!"
Borsalino leapt into the air, hands clasped tightly as a golden light surged forth. A radiant beam the width of a millstone and over ten meters long blasted outward like a spear of blazing flame.
The air was torn apart, golden light dragging behind like comet tails before converging into a ferocious golden dragon's head.
Boom!
A vast swath of Ghost Tree Demons was annihilated on impact. The golden light rippled like waves across the ground, and every demon it touched shattered like glass under a barrage of blades.
The path was cleared.
The rest of the team surged forward, rapidly closing in on the white-masked scholar.
But just as they reached within a hundred meters of the [Demonic Robe Scholar], a ripple of spatial energy burst outward. The entire Navy Alliance squad disappeared as though plunged into a lake.
…
When they regained awareness,
They were standing outside a grand mansion—towering gates, turquoise courtyard walls, and a vermillion front door adorned with golden studs. Opulent and stately.
Night was falling.
Fat raindrops pounded the ground, thunder rolled overhead, and dark clouds pressed down from above.
"My perception is back?"
Garp, with his [Martial Heart], was the first to notice the change. The sensory suppression was gone—he could now detect his surroundings as normal.
Smoker's face grew grim. "If I'm not wrong, this unique space is the [Demonic Robe Scholar]'s hideout."
"Do we fight now?"
Garp suddenly threw a punch into the air. The surrounding atmosphere froze, and waves of air pressure radiated outward.
After being restrained for so long this season, finally unlocking his martial senses filled him with excitement.
"Let's not rush. Let Orochimaru scout it out first."
For once, Borsalino wasn't acting aloof. This space felt deeply dangerous to him.
Akainu's Flame Demons were too conspicuous—unfit for recon.
Smoker and Garp didn't have scouting abilities. That left only Orochimaru's necrotic curse snakes.
"Of course."
Orochimaru didn't object or ask for terms. After all, they were now temporary teammates bound by a team contract.
Two black snakes slithered across the ground, slipping through the gap under the Ning Mansion gate.
Click.
Before they could get a clear look inside, the curse snakes stopped responding.
Creak...
The gates of the Ning Mansion slowly opened.
A shadow stepped forward, crossing the threshold, as if welcoming them. It stood at the entrance, making a gesture to invite them in.
It was an old woman, hunched over like a cooked shrimp. She wore a silk robe that clearly didn't fit—too long, it dragged across the floor and covered her hands.
Everyone tensed, eyes locked on the figure standing in the doorway, ready to attack at the slightest movement.
"Welcome. My master, Lord Ning Caichen, has been expecting you…"
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