Chapter 164: Chapter 164

Boreuo did not let Medicine Master Wen’s efforts go to waste. He seized the opportunity to unleash Thunderstorm, his monk’s staff pouring into the Skull Tower like a golden river!

Under Yan Qing’s watchful gaze, the Skull Tower’s health didn’t decrease much, but its Karmic Force was plummeting at lightning speed. Meanwhile, the lotus platform beneath the tower was rapidly expanding and solidifying! What was once a phantom Three-Petal Lotus Platform had transformed into a Nine-Petal Golden Lotus by the time Thunderstorm Time ended!

The Skull Tower let out a clattering roar that sounded like both a mournful wail and a venomous laugh. In Boreuo’s despairing eyes, the previously incurable golden injury on the Skull Tower began to regenerate—inch by inch!

Noticing this, Beiyou and the Blood Minister’s expressions darkened. If the Nine-Petal Lotus Platform could even heal golden injuries, then they had utterly no hope of breaking through the front hall.

Medicine Master Wen had already prepared for the worst. If the enemy turned their wrath on them, she would have to find a way to lead Wu Qiu and Shi Dong out of Shu Mountain.

But just then, the Bunny Heroine slashed her sword against the Skull Tower.

「Chop it now, you bald donkey, what are you spacing out for!?」she shouted.「Didn’t you notice we can leave golden wounds too? You hold them off!」

Boreuo jolted awake as if from a dream and hurriedly swung his monk’s staff at the Skull Tower, indeed leaving a faint golden mark upon it.

「Fu Xiang, how dare you commit such treason—murdering your master and friends!」

「Fu Xiang, how dare you stir trouble here!」

「Fu Xiang, stop now—you cannot kill me!」

Dozens of skulls atop the tower screamed and roared in unison. It was as if the Buddhist Tokens of the Bunny Heroine and Boreuo had awakened old memories in them. Under Yan Qing’s gaze, the Skull Tower’s maximum health continued to drop—but at the same time, its Karmic Force was surging upward. Newest update provıded by Nove1Fire.net

Based on Yan Qing’s vast experience as a single-player Brahmin, the Skull Tower was likely in a ‘Defense Broken’ state. All damage from Buddhist Tokens would reduce its maximum HP, and no amount of lotus platform healing would help. But once its Karmic Force fully recovered, the Skull Tower would become blood-locked again—and given the Nine-Petal Lotus’s regenerative power, it might even return to full health.

If they didn’t destroy it now, next time they’d have to deplete its Karmic Force all over again—plus deal with a fully healed Skull Tower!

The tower’s screaming also shifted the aggro of nearby zombie demons. They abandoned their current targets and charged straight at Boreuo and the Bunny Heroine. Though the others tried to intercept them, Boreuo still took several hits. His Defensive Token teetered on the brink of collapse. The Bunny Heroine, of course, remained unscathed—darting and striking, a level of maneuvering that posed no challenge at all for Yan Qing.

The Skull Tower’s Karmic Force surged—80, 85, 90, 95, 98——

「Fu Xiang, I curse you to never reincarnate!」

With that venomous curse, the Skull Tower’s lotus platform completely collapsed, and the tower itself shattered into countless bone fragments. The six remaining zombie demons froze mid-motion, slowly turning to dust and merging with the earth.

Two glowing spoils of war dropped where the tower had once stood. Seeing that no one else paid them any mind, the Bunny Heroine boldly strode forward and picked them up.

「You have freed a sinner from the Unending Hell.」

「Based on your level and contribution, you absorbed 1 point of Calamity Karmic Force. Click to view details.」

「You triggered a Calamity Milestone!」

「You’ve comprehended Secret Technique · Left Curve, Right Sweep. Current level: 5」

「Your Vital Energy and Blood increased by 3.2」

「Your Spirit increased by 2.4」

「Your Dexterity increased by 3.2」

「You’ve reached Level 24!」

This alt finally grasped a Secret Technique—and started right at level 5. Even the Bunny Heroine gained four levels in one go. As expected, fighting demons was far better for leveling up than killing people.

The five of them stood in the now-empty front hall. The sound of battle had vanished completely, and none could recover their senses for a long moment.

Like burst water pipes, wet sounds came from Boreuo’s body. When the Bunny Heroine turned to look, he was already half-kneeling on the ground, blood gushing out. Every exposed muscle showed visible tears, as if he’d been ripped apart like shredded chicken—horrifyingly brutal.

Beiyou and the Blood Minister seemed unfazed. Boreuo swallowed a Healing Pill and smiled bitterly.「Old problem. This humble monk can use Thunderstorm three times per day at most, and each time my entire musculature is torn apart—thankfully, no organ damage. I heard Bunny Benefactor’s used Thunderstorm nearly ten times today with zero effects—this humble monk cannot compare.」

No wonder Boreuo had said it was his last attempt tonight. After this, he’d have no combat strength left at all.

Yan Qing’s heart stirred. It seemed Beiyou hadn’t lied—they truly were good friends. Boreuo dared expose his weakness in front of these two who’d killed their way up the mountain today. He clearly believed Beiyou and the Blood Minister would protect him.

When Yan Qing came back to her senses, she saw Medicine Master Wen crouched anxiously before the Bunny Heroine.

「Sister, are you alright? Here, take a Healing Pill.」

Medicine Master Wen had heard of the Thunderstorm Messenger’s unique traits but never looked deeply into it. Besides, the Bunny Heroine had never shown signs of weakness, so she hadn’t thought much of it. Yet even someone like Boreuo, one of the Three Guardians, could only use Thunderstorm three times a day. One could imagine the toll it took on the body.

「No need.」the Bunny Heroine declined.「Thunderstorm doesn’t affect me at all.」

「How can you be sure? What if it’s an internal injury?」

「My brother said so. He said I’m a one-in-a-million Slaughter Saint Physique, born with a Supreme Bone—mere Thunderstorm can’t hurt me in the slightest.」

「Your brother’s a dumbass.」

Suddenly, the Blood Minister burst into wild laughter, face half-covered. He laughed maniacally, uncontrollably.

「We finally broke through the front hall—there’s hope at last!」he roared.「Boreuo, didn’t I say I was right all along? We should’ve used Buddhist Tokens from the start!」

「Hey, hey, uncle, got no shame? I was the first to bring it up, okay?」the Bunny Heroine snapped.「Now it’s over, and you’re hogging all the credit?」

The Blood Minister cursed,「Bullshit! I thought of this ten years ago—you just happened to be in the right place at the right time! Even without you, we’d have broken through eventually!」

The Bunny Heroine sneered,「Then why didn’t you do it before? Didn’t want to?」

Medicine Master Wen sat on the floor hugging the Soul-Severing Spear, absorbing Spirit Jade to restore her Spirit. She felt like she was back at the garrison assaulting Secret Realms—during breaks between offensives, she would banter and bicker with the soldiers. Differences in status blurred to near-invisibility inside the Secret Realm. Everyone’s first impression of one another came from fighting side by side.

That was how she’d managed to escape the garrison… Even though the commander had sealed the garrison ahead of time, the Embroidered Guard’s intel still reached her through her teammates. Facing the supreme authority of the imperial court, they dared not rebel—but they could offer Medicine Master Wen as much help as possible.

That was the magic of the Secret Realm—melding all kinds of people into a group that acknowledged each other.

「Hey.」Beiyou suddenly called out from the front hall’s gate:

「I think I see a treasure chest.」

At those words, everyone’s expression changed—Medicine Master Wen’s included.

Every united group ends… in division.