Chapter 99 - 87: A Little Bit? That’s a Billion Bits

Chapter 99: Chapter 87: A Little Bit? That’s a Billion Bits

Fang Xiu’s brow furrowed slightly.

He didn’t sense any danger around him at the moment.

But judging by the old man’s tense expression, it didn’t seem like he was faking it.

Fang Xiu couldn’t help but become vigilant.

"Young Fang Xiu, in this Gate World Number 23, there’s a type of Demon Beast called the Quan Ni."

The old man said, looking at Fang Xiu.

Without the slightest hesitation, he let out a low shout, "Water Arrow!"

Instantly, a volley of water arrows materialized.

He then unleashed a chaotic barrage at the ground not far away.

Fang Xiu was a little confused but remained on guard.

"Blood?"

Just then, Fang Xiu suddenly saw it.

Where the old man’s Skill had landed, blood actually spattered out.

"What is that?"

Fang Xiu stared at the spot where the blood had spattered.

His brow creased slightly.

’I didn’t sense any Demon Beast approaching at all!’

"That’s a Quan Ni."

The old man explained to Fang Xiu, "Its Skill is stealth. It can burrow into the soil, making it very difficult for most people to sense. You might only notice them once they’re within a meter!"

"But once they’re within a meter, it’s incredibly difficult to dodge their attacks."

The old man continued, "This type of Demon Beast has three Skills. The first is Burrow, allowing it to hide and move quickly within the soil. The second is called Sticky Mud, where it spits a type of mud to trap its prey. The third Skill is Bloodsucker. After trapping its prey, the Demon Beast will drag it directly into the soil and drain its blood until it’s completely dry."

"Three Skills? What Level is this Quan Ni Demon Beast?"

Fang Xiu was surprised.

’This Demon Beast actually has three Skills?’

"Its Level isn’t that high, only Level 20!"

The old man walked over to where the blood had spattered and plunged his hand directly into the soil.

He pulled out a "lump of mud" over a meter long.

"This is a Quan Ni?"

Fang Xiu stared at the lump of mud before him.

If the old man hadn’t pointed it out, Fang Xiu would never have recognized it as a Demon Beast, even if he’d seen it on the path!

"This type of Demon Beast loves to lie in wait in the soil."

As he spoke, the old man took out a knife and dug into it.

A Demon Core appeared in his hand.

"A Level 20 Demon Core. My luck’s not bad!"

The old man smiled in satisfaction.

He said to Fang Xiu, "Young Fang Xiu, we encountered this Quan Ni together. I’ll take the Demon Core, and the rest of the materials are yours!"

"Thank you for your kindness, Sir, but you’re the one who found and killed it. You were protecting me, so how could I dare to take anything?"

Generally, Fang Xiu rarely bothered with the materials from Demon Beasts.

For one, selling them was too much trouble, and for another, Fang Xiu really didn’t need the money.

He only took dropped items or Demon Cores.

He didn’t bother with things like bones or claws.

"Heh, you kid!"

The old man chuckled and didn’t press the issue.

He then proceeded to process the Demon Beast.

This type of Demon Beast didn’t have many valuable parts.

Only its teeth could be used for Artifact Refining.

After processing it, the old man handed a portion to Fang Xiu and said, "Young Fang Xiu, this is your first time in this Gate World. The Demon Beasts here are very strong. You can’t just leave empty-handed, can you?"

Hearing this, Fang Xiu smiled.

He didn’t say much.

’It seems the old man thinks I’m just a Level 15 rookie.’

This time, Fang Xiu didn’t refuse.

He accepted the materials the old man offered, smiled, and said, "Thank you, Sir!"

"Let’s go. Be careful on the way. If one Quan Ni shows up, there are probably more nearby!"

Seeing Fang Xiu accept, the old man smiled in satisfaction.

He added a word of caution to Fang Xiu.

Fang Xiu nodded.

Along the way, they encountered a few more Quan Ni.

Fang Xiu didn’t make a move; the old man took care of all of them.

And each time, the old man would share a portion of the loot with Fang Xiu.

However, their luck didn’t seem to be very good. The subsequent Quan Ni not only lacked Demon Cores, but they also didn’t drop anything.

They could only harvest some Quan Ni teeth, which were Refining Materials.

"Today’s haul wasn’t bad! Young Fang Xiu, it seems you’re my lucky star!"

Although Fang Xiu felt their luck wasn’t very good.

But the old man was quite satisfied.

Fang Xiu just nodded slightly and said nothing more.

After these encounters with the Quan Ni, Fang Xiu finally understood how to tell if the Demon Beasts were nearby.

Although they were hidden in the soil and looked almost identical to ordinary dirt.

But this was a grassland.

Fang Xiu could see that wherever a Quan Ni appeared,

the grass above would sway irregularly.

In other words, when the wind blew the grass, it all moved in one direction.

But when a Quan Ni was present, some blades of grass would face south, while others faced north.

They were all different.

Although the movement was subtle, it was still noticeable.

"Hm? Young Fang Xiu, your luck seems a little too good!"

The old man said suddenly.

Fang Xiu was taken aback for a moment.

But when he saw the surrounding grassland, he froze as well.

"This... a swarm of Demon Beasts?"

This time, the number of Quan Ni that appeared was definitely not small.

"Meteor Arrow Rain!"

The old man didn’t hesitate at all.

He directly used another Skill.

It was a Group Attack Skill.

Countless water arrows, like falling meteors and as dense as raindrops, rained down upon the ground.

From behind the old man, Fang Xiu watched as his Skill brought up a splash of blood with every impact.

"We’ve run into a swarm of Demon Beasts this time. Be careful. If things go south, just run. I’ll handle it."

The old man looked at the signs on the grassland.

His expression turned grave.

Fang Xiu nodded slightly. "Okay!"

’I don’t get it, why is this old man being so nice to me?’

’Logically, we’ve only just met. We’re just traveling companions.’

’But this old man not only told me where to find Rare Materials...’

’...he’s also been protecting me.’

’He even shared the materials obtained from hunting Demon Beasts with me.’

’This kind of thing is almost unheard of among the Awakened.’

’Doesn’t everyone come to a Gate World to hunt Demon Beasts and search for materials?’

’If all Awakened were this kind-hearted, there wouldn’t be so many incidents of fighting, or even murder for treasure, inside Gate Worlds.’

’But the look in the old man’s eyes and his tone are so sincere.’

It left Fang Xiu completely bewildered.

"Meteor Arrow Rain!"

The old man let out another low shout.

He used the same Skill.

After countless water arrows fell into the soil,

the old man didn’t stop.

He cast the Skill again and again.

But unfortunately, there were too many Demon Beasts.

Even with the constant attacks, the Quan Ni kept advancing.

"What’s going on? There’s an absurd number of Quan Ni today!"

The old man looked at the Quan Ni before him.

A sense of unease grew in his heart.

"Young Fang Xiu, you should go first!"

After using his Skills several times in a row,

the old man finally realized something was wrong.

In the past, even when he encountered a large group of these Level 20 Demon Beasts, there would be thirty-odd at most.

But now, the number of these Quan Ni had clearly surpassed fifty, and there might be even more.

And currently, he and Fang Xiu were the only two people in this area.

To deal with so many Level 20 Demon Beasts...

In the old man’s opinion, it was impossible.

"Sir, you’ve used too many Spirit Skills. Drink a Spiritual Power Recovery Potion first!"

Fang Xiu directly handed him a Spiritual Power Recovery Potion.

The old man was stunned. He shook his head. "I don’t need it. This stuff is very expensive. You should keep it."

"Sir, I have plenty. Just drink it!"

Fang Xiu was helpless.

’Spiritual Power Recovery Potions are expensive, sure, but I looted these from Dan Peiyu.’

’Besides, when you’re in a Gate World facing a swarm of Demon Beasts, who cares about expensive or not? Staying alive is what matters!’

"Still no. I have enough Spiritual Power. Hurry up and go!"

The old man still refused.

Fang Xiu’s brow furrowed slightly.

’What is with this old man?’

’We’re clearly at a critical moment, and he’s still unwilling to drink a Spiritual Power Recovery Potion?’

"Meteor Arrow Rain!"

Just then, the old man used his Skill again.

But this time, its power was much weaker.

"I’m out of Spiritual Power! Young Fang Xiu, run!"

The old man said urgently to Fang Xiu.

But at that very moment, an even larger lump of mud began to squirm.

"This... This is a Level 25 Quan Ni!"

But when he saw this larger lump of mud,

the old man’s expression changed slightly.

"Level 25? An Elite Monster?"

At this point, Fang Xiu also knew.

The Demon Beast before them was likely the legendary Elite Monster.

Normally, a Demon Beast’s Level doesn’t change.

All Level 20 Demon Beasts are Level 20.

But if a Level 25 one appears among them, it’s considered an Elite Monster Level.

Of course, it could also be a Boss Level monster.

But Gate World Number 23 had already been explored.

It was impossible for a Boss Level monster to exist here.

The one before them should be an Elite Monster Level.

"Yes. Even though it’s only a Level 25 Elite Monster, its Attack and Defense are comparable to a regular Level 30 wild monster!"

The old man’s expression was extremely grave as he said, "In the past, I could have handled it, but now... You should run! I’ll see if I can hold it off!"

"Meteor Arrow Rain!"

The old man said, immediately casting his Skill.

Fang Xiu watched the water arrows fall among the Quan Ni in the ground.

"Netherworld Thunder Fall!"

Without a moment’s hesitation, he followed up with a Skill of his own.

When the black Thunder descended upon the ground,

the water arrows from the old man’s Water Skill, Meteor Arrow Rain, were still embedded in the Demon Beasts.

And since water conducts electricity,

the power of Fang Xiu’s Skill nearly doubled when it landed.

"ROAR!"

The ground churned, and a low roar echoed up from beneath the earth.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The Thunder continued to fall.

Meanwhile, the old man stood frozen in place, staring at the Thunder before him.

After a long moment, he finally opened his mouth. "This... This is your Skill?"

"Mhm!"

Fang Xiu nodded slightly.

"You... What Level are you really?"

The old man asked, his mouth a little dry.

’Such powerful Thunder Power... He must be at least Level 30, right?’

"Level 15!"

This time, Fang Xiu didn’t hide it.

The old man: "..."

’Level 15? You’re telling me a Level 15 can do this?’

"Ahem, my Skill is a little bit strong!"

Fang Xiu said awkwardly, seeing the old man’s suspicious gaze.

’A little bit?’

’More like a gazillion bits!’