Chapter 163: Chapter 163
「Rabbit Benefactor, are you sure the Skull Tower can only be broken with a Buddhist Token?」
Outside the Forest of Corpses, Boreuo spoke as he lifted a nearby water vat and poured its contents over himself, slowly but forcefully rinsing his entire body. As the cold water hit his sinewy, muscular torso, steam actually rose in a misty haze—he looked as if he were cooling red-hot steel.
They had just attempted another assault on the Forest of Corpses, and the result, naturally, was another failed retreat. Though the Skull Tower was once again battered nearly to pieces, it still stood tenaciously atop the lotus platform. The moment Bunny Heroine and Boreuo exited Thunderstorm Time, their damage-per-second dropped sharply, and the lotus platform would instantly restore the tower to its original state.
Their regular output couldn’t keep pace with the lotus platform’s healing speed at all.
If their first retreat from the Forest of Corpses was still filled with hope, the second one left only a deep sense of powerlessness—like a monkey diligently practicing swimming to reach the moon reflected in a lake, only to realize upon getting close that it was all an illusion… All those years of persistence now felt like nothing but a futile dream.
「Boreuo, how can there be any certainties in this kind of thing?」 Before Bunny Heroine could respond, Medicine Master Wen immediately snapped back: 「It’s just a guess! My younger sister kindly offered to help think of a solution, and you’re demanding guarantees? Do you want us to guarantee you’ll get Si Wuxie’s inheritance and complete a Foundation Fourth-Stage right after clearing the front hall?」
Like a mother hen shielding her chick, Medicine Master Wen stood protectively in front of Bunny Heroine, boldly retorting Boreuo’s somewhat impatient questioning without a hint of fear—even though she had just witnessed Boreuo’s fierce, ghost-god-like bravery in the Forest of Corpses.
Clearly, when she said she saw Bunny Heroine as her own little sister, it wasn’t some ‘I really like you, sis’ kind of sentiment, but rather a declaration of: ‘From now on, you’re the most important person to me.’
But hey, I started this alt just so I could be sharp-tongued, defiant, and stir up trouble. You refute people so brilliantly—who’s going to make up for the game experience I’m missing out on?
「Believe it or not, that’s up to you. But let me say this up front—this lady will be equipping a Buddhist weapon the next time she enters the Forest of Corpses.」 Bunny Heroine shoved the Seven-Star Sword into her storage and replaced it with the Seven-Step Buddha Recitation, her face frosty and aloof: 「I’ve no interest in wasting my time with you lot.」
「We’ve already paid to hire your assistance,」 said Boreuo.
「Then draw a line for me—how many times are we supposed to assist you? Five? Ten?」 Bunny Heroine replied. 「How many times will it take before you give up?」
「Boreuo, it’s time to accept reality.」
Surprisingly, it was the Blood Minister who supported her. While drawing spirit energy from a withered tree, he wore a dark expression, but his tone remained calm: 「Whether this silly girl is right or not, our current method is definitely wrong. No matter how many times we try, it’ll be meaningless.」
「Relying on burst damage alone won’t destroy the Skull Tower,」 Medicine Master Wen’s tone softened. If the Three Guardians only leaned toward believing, she completely believed in Bunny Heroine’s judgment: 「Just like you can’t curse someone to death with insults alone. If the method is wrong, effort is pointless.」
Boreuo’s expression twisted with conflict: 「But the key to breaking the impasse might not be a Buddhist Token. We could—」
「Could what? Waste several more years collecting various tokens to test them one by one?」 the Blood Minister retorted bluntly. 「Do you and I even have that much time left? Once age sets in and our Vital Energy and Blood wane, even if we inherit Si Wuxie’s legacy, what hope will decrepit old us have to reach Foundation?」
「Not to mention, what if the token that breaks the formation causes a reaction like the lotus platform again? Would you search for yet another method then? Honestly, the moment you discovered the monk’s staff triggered changes in the Skull Tower, I already suspected that Buddhist Tokens were the key. But back then, we couldn’t even damage the Skull Tower, and boosting the lotus platform’s power was too risky, so I buried that thought.」
「Boreuo, we from the Demon Path walk against the tide, despised by the world. If we start hesitating in the face of opportunity, we might as well return to the temple and become a bald monk again.」 ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novel✦fire.net
Silence fell over the Forest of Corpses’ entrance. Only the Blood Minister’s slightly raspy voice echoed in the stillness. No one had expected him to react so forcefully and decisively. To be honest, even Yan Qing himself wasn’t sure—if the Buddhist Token couldn’t break the impasse and instead triggered the Skull Tower’s evolution, that was a real possibility. So there was no way he could make any guarantees.
But the Blood Minister’s conviction was almost excessive. Perhaps this inheritance Secret Realm had consumed too much of their dedication—Boreuo couldn’t tolerate risk, while the Blood Minister couldn’t tolerate stagnation.
To gamble meant risking everything. Not gambling meant never winning. The righteous path could afford not to gamble—they had masters and families. But what did the Demon Path have?
They had only one life—a life with no kin, no roots, no nation.
「That undying golden light on the Skull Tower,」 Beiyou spoke slowly, 「I believe it was left by Si Wuxie as a hint.」
Even without mentioning Bunny Heroine and Medicine Master Wen, Beiyou and the Blood Minister’s stance alone was enough to shift the tide. Boreuo let out a long sigh, stowed away his Rare Long Staff, and replaced it with a golden-glowing Nine-Ring Monk’s Staff. The monk’s staff radiated sacred solemnity, its body etched with intricate patterns. When it hit the ground with a heavy thud, the entire forest stirred from the sound of the nine rings, and even Yan Qing outside the screen felt a wave of tranquility.
「This humble monk was attached to appearances,」 Boreuo recited a Buddhist chant, now devoid of hesitation in his eyes: 「We shall proceed as the Rabbit Benefactor suggests, cleansing demonic aura with the Buddhist path’s thunder.」
Yan Qing had expected them to eventually accept this plan, but not so soon—only two runs and they already changed their mindset. He thought they’d take several days. That was his own underestimation. While locals couldn’t see Health Bars, they weren’t fools. The Skull Tower’s nearly locked-health state wasn’t even pretending anymore.
As they reached the boundary of the front hall again, Boreuo declared: 「No matter what happens, this shall be our final attempt tonight.」
「Or perhaps the final attempt, period,」 Beiyou added wistfully.
Medicine Master Wen and Yan Qing both realized the same thing—this guy always brought up the one thing no one wanted to hear.
「May we achieve our wish,」 Boreuo said. 「Only this humble monk and the Rabbit Benefactor have Buddhist Tokens, so the rest of you need not approach the Skull Tower. Focus solely on handling the demons.」
Perhaps they should have formulated a more cautious plan—such as calling in more Third-Stage players to help draw the monsters away. After all, only Bunny Heroine and Boreuo were the main attackers this time; the others were just support, and the requirements for support were lower… But at this point, everyone had thrown caution to the wind. They just wanted to go all-in and let fate unveil the answer.
At the signal, the five stepped into the front hall once more, executing the plan. Everything went smoothly. Bunny Heroine had already lured the monsters to the Skull Tower and was swinging the Seven-Step Buddha Recitation during Thunderstorm Time, stabbing countless holes into the Skull Tower!
Come to think of it, since the Seven-Step Buddha Recitation earned its name by killing monks, did it still count as a Buddhist weapon?
However, Boreuo made a mistake—whether due to accumulated fatigue from the previous runs or internal anxiety and unease, he failed to trigger Thunderstorm Time. He merely dodged the zombie demon’s attack normally! Clearly, he was shocked. One failure didn’t matter much, but if he couldn’t even activate Thunderstorm Time during his most focused initial dodge, he might not be able to trigger it at all in subsequent evasions.
At that crucial moment, Medicine Master Wen suddenly shouted, and the Soul-Severing Spear struck out openly, aimed straight at Boreuo’s centerline—swift and steady!