Chapter 102: Repair Task Complete

Chapter 102: Chapter 102: Repair Task Complete

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The moment Gu Su firmly inserted the repaired Offering Candle into the base of the Deceitful Tree’s roots, a strange transformation occurred without any warning.

The Deceitful Tree’s roots, originally buried deep underground, seemed pulled by some force as several thin but tough rootlets burst from the soil. Like nimble tentacles, they quickly wrapped around the body of the Offering Candle. Then, they slowly tightened their grip, pulling the entire candle deep into the roots until it vanished, as if it had never been there at all.

This sudden change made Gu Su stop in his tracks, his eyes filled with astonishment.

Next, the Deceitful Tree’s thick trunk began to split open on its own, about three feet off the ground. There was no harsh grinding sound; the crack simply spread along the wood’s grain, eventually forming a neat, square platform embedded securely in the trunk.

The interior of the platform emitted a faint, eerie, vermilion glow. The light was soft and not harsh on the eyes, yet it carried an inexplicable sense of solemnity and strangeness. The platform itself was completely empty, with no decorations. From a distance, it looked exactly like an Altar without a statue, exuding an indescribable air of mystery.

At the same time, the branches and leaves of the Deceitful Tree also began to stir violently.

The leaves, transformed from Fan Grass, began to spin wildly at high speed as if driven by a gale, creating a soft WHIRRING sound. The resulting airflow blew upon the Large-leaf Lily Seeds hanging among the branches.

The seeds looked like countless pieces of Paper Money, scattering like falling snow and covering the ground around the Deceitful Tree. This added another layer of gloom and strangeness to the already bizarre scene.

Gu Su didn’t have time to think. He quickly ran toward the Old Tent.

But just as he had taken a few steps, before he even got close to the tent, the sound of urgent flapping wings came from above. Crow’s Caw landed steadily beside Gu Su. "Sir, Bone Ash and the others have arrived at the gates of the Graveyard Demon."

Hearing this, he didn’t hesitate for a second. "Relay my order: all available Skeletons in the graveyard are to go to the main gate to receive them."

"Yes, Sir." Crow’s Caw replied respectfully and went to relay Gu Su’s command.

At Gu Su’s command, every Skeleton in the Graveyard Demon mobilized. Even Tooth Bone, who had been squatting by a Yin Fire Heap processing scrap materials and performing maintenance, was sent out.

While all the Skeletons were out receiving the Ash Squad, Gu Su didn’t linger. He returned to the Old Tent to investigate the strange changes.

He soon found his answer.

The new Altar on the Deceitful Tree’s trunk was indeed triggered by the repaired Offering Candle. After the tree consumed the candle, a new function was unlocked.

Gu Su could use this Altar to seal and enshrine an Aberration of Level 10 or higher. Once the enshrinement was complete, he could call upon this Aberration’s Power to aid him in battle and defend against invaders whenever the Graveyard Demon faced a crisis.

More importantly, this enshrined Aberration would become the Graveyard Demon’s final line of defense, steadfastly protecting its safety.

Without Gu Su’s explicit permission, any outsider who trespassed into the Graveyard Demon’s territory would be instantly annihilated by this Aberration, with no chance of survival.

However, the Altar was currently empty. To enshrine an Aberration within it, Gu Su would have to personally search for and capture one, or find a way to invite an Aberration of Level 10 or higher back to complete the ritual.

Even so, Gu Su was already very satisfied.

’The appearance of this Altar is a pleasant surprise.’ He knew that according to the rules of the Game World, even if the Graveyard Demon was upgraded, his own Level had a cap.

Level 10 was the limit for a White Quality player. In other words, if Gu Su’s Graveyard Demon didn’t advance to Green Quality, he would be stuck at Level 10 forever.

Now, having a Level 10+ Aberration was like gaining a top-tier combatant.

Just as Gu Su was focused on examining the Altar’s information and silently congratulating himself, a chaotic noise of dragging and CLATTERING bones, mixed with Bone Ash’s commands, came from outside the tent.

Apparently, Bone Ash and his squad had successfully entered the Graveyard Demon’s territory, pulling a large trailer wagon with them.

"Put your backs into it! Lift this heart down carefully!"

As soon as they entered the core area of the Graveyard Demon, Bone Ash stopped and gave an order to the Skeleton Warriors beside him, pointing a bony hand toward the back of the trailer wagon.

After giving the command, Bone Ash turned and walked over to the Treasure Chest Wagon he had hauled back. He gripped the edge of the Treasure Chest with both hands, and with a slight effort, threw the lid open. He then gently tilted the chest, tipping out the giant turtle egg inside.

The giant turtle egg had long since lost its original appearance. The entire shell was completely petrified, its surface coarse and hard with the texture of dark gray stone. From a distance, it looked like a round stone sphere taller than a man, devoid of life, yet exuding a strange sense of weight and substance.

The moment the giant turtle egg hit the ground of the Graveyard Demon, something strange happened again.

The ground of the Graveyard Demon trembled slightly. Immediately after, fine black patterns emerged on the surface. An invisible suction force emanated from the ground, instantly swallowing the petrified giant turtle egg whole. The process was swift and bizarre, almost identical to when it had devoured the corpses of the Oil Centipede and the clown.

Almost at the same instant the giant turtle egg was devoured, a DING sounded in Gu Su’s ear.

[Repair Mission: Wandering Soul complete.]

[Earth-Binding Vein status: Intact. Level increased to Level 1. The Graveyard Demon can now move freely. Movement Speed: 3 kilometers per hour (Consumes 30 Yin Qi per hour while moving).]

As soon as the system prompt vanished, a powerful tremor suddenly came from beneath his feet, far more distinct than any before.

This time, it didn’t feel like a slight shake to Gu Su. Instead, it felt as if the entire Graveyard Demon was being forcibly ripped out of the ground. The fabric of the tent swayed with the vibration, and even the small items on the table began to slide.

Startled, Gu Su rushed out of the tent and looked around the perimeter of the Graveyard Demon. The sight that met his eyes left him stunned.

At the four corners of the Graveyard Demon, giant Red Balloons had appeared at some point. Each balloon was about five meters in diameter, with a smooth surface that glowed with an eerie red light. Their bases were tied down by several thick vines and roots, the other ends of which were buried deep in the ground of the Graveyard Demon.

At this moment, the four giant Red Balloons were slowly ascending.

After rising to a height of about twenty meters, they began to exert their force, forcibly pulling the entire body of the Graveyard Demon up from the ground. Its foundations, once buried deep, gradually became visible.

The once-stationary Graveyard Demon was slowly transitioning from a fixed state to one of free movement. The tremors in the ground were caused by the balloons’ ascent and the lifting of the Graveyard Demon.

And at that moment, Gu Su finally understood what the clown’s corpse had been used for.