Dance? Ou Xiangrong froze, his mind struggling to process the request.
This Supernatural Item is inviting me to dance?
He sneered. Of course, he wouldn't dance with an enemy's Dancing Shoes in the middle of a battle. He immediately bit the tip of his tongue and spat a mouthful of blood onto the gleaming blade of his Yanagiba.
As an experienced Spirit Realm Walker and a member of the Evil Class, he had fought countless Nightwalkers and knew their abilities well.
Supernatural Items were notorious for their bizarre nature. Ou Xiangrong had once been tormented by one for days, finding it incredibly difficult to deal with.
However, their weakness was equally apparent: their actual destructive power was somewhat lacking.
Moreover, Supernatural Items generally feared objects brimming with yang energy. For a tool seemingly possessed by a Vengeful Spirit, a mouthful of tongue blood would be enough to suppress it.
No problem.
The Red Dancing Shoes paused mid-air, waiting for a few seconds. When the human before them refused to dance, they seemed to grow angry. A faint crimson glow emanated from their bodies, and with rapid tap-tap-tap sounds, they lunged at Ou Xiangrong.
Ou Xiangrong stood motionless, waiting for the Red Dancing Shoes to close in. As they leaped toward his head to attack, he calmly swung his Yanagiba, aiming to deal a crippling blow to the Vengeful Spirit residing within the shoes.
The blade sliced through the dancing shoe, but it didn't feel like cutting through a solid object. The eerie Red Dancing Shoes seemed to exist in another dimension, completely detached from reality.
Thump! Thump!
In the next instant, Ou Xiangrong's chest and face were brutally kicked twice.
He experienced the same heart-stopping, breathless agony Zhang Yuanqing had endured moments earlier. His face burned with pain, and warm liquid streamed from his nostrils.
This isn't a Nightwalker's item, Ou Xiangrong thought, his face a mask of shock and confusion. Void? he murmured, his voice trembling with uncertainty.
The item's properties resembled those of a foreign class. How could a level 1 Nightwalker possess an item from an Evil Class?
Before he could dwell on it further, the Red Dancing Shoes pivoted and charged at him again.
Ignoring the blood dripping from his nose, Ou Xiangrong braced his arms across his chest. Thump! Thump! The Seductive Demon was kicked off the car roof and sent tumbling to the ground.
Ou Xiangrong darted forward, sprinted, rolled, and used the vehicles as cover, weaving through the spacious underground garage to evade most of the Red Dancing Shoes' relentless stomps.
Yet he was still struck several times. Each impact sent searing pain through his body, aggravating the injuries from the previous night's battle and causing blood to seep from his internal organs.
"Damn, this is too powerful," Zhang Yuanqing muttered, watching the Red Dancing Shoes' relentless assault with wide-eyed astonishment.
He was once again deeply impressed by the terrifying power of Rule Items.
Their pursuit was unstoppable, their targets left with no choice but to endure the relentless onslaught unless they could decipher the underlying rule—dancing.
But that was unrealistic. Even if Ou Xiangrong were to submit to the Red Dancing Shoes and force himself to tap dance through the humiliation, Zhang Yuanqing would intervene, sabotaging his steps.
A single misstep would render all his efforts futile.
However, Zhang Yuanqing also gained a clear understanding of the Seductive Demon's formidable strength. Despite the Red Dancing Shoes' crushing force, Ou Xiangrong had somehow managed to withstand it.
His physical resilience was terrifying.
"Ou Xiangrong won't just stand there and wait to die," Zhang Yuanqing reasoned, his mind racing. "Once he realizes he can only take hits and can't retaliate, he'll definitely try to escape."
Zhang Yuanqing needed to ambush him before he could flee.
He didn't aim to kill, but he had to stall this murderer.
Thump! Thump!
Ou Xiangrong failed to dodge again, taking two kicks to the face from the Red Dancing Shoes. The blows sent him staggering backward, his vision blurring and his head spinning.
Now's my chance!
Zhang Yuanqing sprang forward like a cheetah, gripping the Demon Subduing Pestle as he sprinted in a parabolic arc, circling behind Ou Xiangrong.
He thrust the Demon Subduing Pestle fiercely into Ou Xiangrong's back.
Buzz!
Suddenly, a dense, mist-like white light blocked the pestle's triangular tip.
This force originated from the Bronze Plaque clutched tightly in Ou Xiangrong's left hand—an ancient plaque, cracked and stained with blood, resembling an artifact carried by a seasoned veteran.
It was Zhao Yingjun's defensive item.
A defensive item?
Zhang Yuanqing's heart jolted as his ambush failed. He shifted his stance, circling Ou Xiangrong rapidly, his pestle hammering against the white light barrier, each strike sending ripples through the luminous shield.
This time, shielded by the Red Dancing Shoes, he avoided being instantly killed by the Seductive Demon, narrowly dodging several blade strikes and fist attacks.
Crack!
Finally, under the relentless assault of the pestle and the shoes, the Bronze Plaque shattered into fragments, its white light dissipating into shimmering dust.
At that moment, Zhang Yuanqing's Night Roaming state ended, his body materializing into view.
As if anticipating this moment, Ou Xiangrong's eyes flared crimson, twisted, and unholy talismans surfaced in his pupils.
Seduction!
Zhang Yuanqing's mind exploded, his thoughts dissolving as if he'd forgotten he was in battle. Simultaneously, a voice echoed in his mind:
"Drop your weapon and don't resist. Drop your weapon and don't resist."
Ou Xiangrong grinned savagely as his Yanagiba blade slashed toward the young Nightwalker's neck.
He would rather endure the attacks of those terrifying Dancing Shoes than use his defensive item. His true purpose was to provoke the Nightwalker into attacking first.
This item, acquired from the Scout class, was already half-damaged. Using it prematurely would only block the Dancing Shoes for a moment before shattering completely.
So he endured, deliberately leaving an opening to lure his opponent into striking first.
As expected, the inexperienced young Nightwalker, lacking patience, fell for the trap.
But just as the blade was about to slice across the Nightwalker's neck, Ou Xiangrong saw the young man's body suddenly collapse. The Yanagiba blade grazed his scalp, severing a few strands of hair.
The Red Dancing Shoes, which had been relentlessly pursuing Ou Xiangrong, had somehow appeared on the Nightwalker's feet. They forced him into a perfect split, narrowly avoiding the fatal slash.
Simultaneously, the Nightwalker, who should have been under the influence of Seduction, regained his senses. A brilliant golden light surged in his eyes as he instantly broke free from his dazed state. With a powerful spring of his legs, he lunged forward, slamming into Ou Xiangrong.
Ou Xiangrong was completely caught off guard. He never imagined that a mere Level 1 Nightwalker could break free from his Seduction.
Still locked in his sword-swinging stance, Ou Xiangrong couldn't retract his momentum. He could only watch helplessly as the brass staff pierced his chest.
Thud!
Flesh tore as the Demon Subduing Pestle erupted in a dazzling golden light, incinerating the life force within his chest cavity.
Darkness swam before Ou Xiangrong's eyes, the pain nearly overwhelming him. Yet, as a battle-hardened Seductive Demon, he tapped into his reserves at death's door. His right arm snapped back, dragging the Yanagiba across the Nightwalker's throat.
Simultaneously, he tensed his left arm muscles, snapping his elbow to transform his left fist into a fully charged, spear-like strike that slammed into his enemy's shoulder.
Zhang Yuanqing jerked his head back to evade the throat-slitting blade, only to be sent flying like a punctured sandbag by Ou Xiangrong's shoulder strike.
Crash!
Zhang Yuanqing slammed into a van, spiderwebbing the windshield. Before his falling body could hit the ground, it began to fade away, vanishing from Ou Xiangrong's sight.
He had entered Night Roaming State once more.
Ignoring him, Ou Xiangrong staggered toward Xu Yingying.
His heart had been destroyed. Only fresh human blood could save him now. He needed to kill to enter Berserk mode.
Then he would burst from the underground garage, unleash a bloodbath across the campus, and use the Seductive Demon's Blade of Bloodlust to heal his wounds and reverse his fate.
This would inevitably cause his Morality Value to plummet below 60, making him a wanted criminal in the Spirit Realm and subject to being hunted down by Spirit Realm Walkers across the city. But he couldn't afford to worry about that now.
Tap, tap, tap
Two crimson glows materialized from thin air, transforming into a pair of brand-new red Dancing Shoes that intercepted Ou Xiangrong.
To Ou Xiangrong in that moment, the footsteps sounded like death knells, the sigh of the Grim Reaper, the decree of King Yama.
Bang! Bang!
Ou Xiangrong's face was stomped into a bloody pulp. He was forced to tilt his head back and collapse, but at the last instant, he flung the Yanagiba from his hand.
The forty-centimeter-long blade shot through the air like a silver streak, aimed at Xu Yingying in the distance.
Ou Xiangrong's eyes remained fixed on the blade's trajectory.
Clang!
Suddenly, sparks flew as the Yanagiba was deflected by a brass staff that emerged from the Void. A figure materialized beside Xu Yingying.
It was Zhang Yuanqing.
Seeing this, the hope in Ou Xiangrong's eyes turned to despair and resentment.
At that moment, the Red Dancing Shoes descended from the sky, crushing his face, shattering his nose, splitting his lips, and forcing his eyeballs to burst from their sockets.
Ou Xiangrong's limbs twitched violently before he finally ceased to breathe.
Zhang Yuanqing collapsed beside Xu Yingying, exhaling a long, ragged breath as if utterly drained.
His chest churned with violent rage, and his hands and feet trembled uncontrollably.
This wasn't fear, but the mental exhilaration brought on by an adrenaline surge. When faced with imminent danger and the need for self-preservation, the body floods with adrenaline, driving individuals to become truly ruthless killers.
Commonly known as "getting high on adrenaline"!
The battle plan had succeeded.
Before the fight, Zhang Yuanqing had meticulously planned every detail. His sole concern was avoiding Ou Xiangrong's Seduction abilities, which is why he had already sacrificed to the Demon Subduing Pestle before initiating the ambush.
One of the Pestle's functions was purification.
The Red Dancing Shoes' second form had been his trump card for close-quarters combat, and they had indeed helped him evade the fatal throat-slitting attack.
Mark, Seduction, Berserk, Melee—Zhang Yuanqing had thoroughly analyzed all of Ou Xiangrong's abilities and devised countermeasures for each. If he still couldn't win after all that, he figured he might as well quit being a Spirit Realm Walker.
After catching his breath for a few minutes, Zhang Yuanqing calmed his racing emotions. He then heard the Spirit Realm's notification chime:
[ Ding! You have slain a Level 3 Seductive Demon. Reward: 30 Morality Value, 15 Reputation. Reputation system unlocked. ]
Zhang Yuanqing froze, immediately opening his character attribute panel to find a new "Reputation" section.
Reputation? Killing Spirit Realm Walkers from opposing factions grants Reputation? As a veteran gamer, he was familiar with the concept of Reputation, but he had no idea what purpose it served in the Spirit Realm.
After a moment's thought, Zhang Yuanqing decided to ignore it for now and check the official forums later.
Compared to the Reputation rewards from the Spirit Realm, the real-world loot held far greater appeal for him.
He rose and walked over to Ou Xiangrong's corpse, kicking the eyeball under the car before dragging the body into the shadows of a corner.
After thoroughly searching the corpse, he found an old-fashioned cell phone and a bulging wallet.
The phone was a simple model capable only of making calls, while the wallet contained a stack of hundred-yuan bills and a fake ID card.
Zhang Yuanqing carefully counted the money. "For a wanted criminal, carrying only a little over fifteen hundred yuan? What kind of joke is this?"
"Confiscated!" He pocketed the cash.
Next, he retrieved the razor-sharp Yanagiba from where it lay.
The moment he touched the weapon, a notification appeared in his vision:
[ Name: Blade of Bloodlust ]
[ Type: Weapon ]
[ Functions: Bleeding, Bloodlust, Armor Penetration ]
[ Description: A powerful Seductive Demon nourished this blade with its own vital essence. Over time, it became intensely bloodthirsty. Its edge can slice through hardened steel, and wounds inflicted by it resist healing. The blade drains the lifeblood of its prey, channeling the energy back to its Master, making them stronger. ]
[ Note: A blade that doesn't crave its Master's blood isn't a true blade. ]
"This blade is incredibly powerful. If it had killed Xu Yingying earlier, Ou Xiangrong would have received the weapon's feedback. Thankfully, I kept a close eye on her and stayed by her side."
Zhang Yuanqing ran back to Ou Xiangrong's corpse, removed the scabbard from his lower back, equipped it himself, and then sheathed the Blade of Bloodlust.
The blade was currently unclaimed. To make it recognize him as its master, he simply needed to store it in his Inventory.
But Zhang Yuanqing hesitated. The [ Note ] in the item description made him uneasy.
The Blade of Bloodlust likely belonged to the [ Cost ] category of items, and that [ Note ] was the price for using it.
Combining the blade's description with the [ Note ], Zhang Yuanqing could guess the cost: either those who wielded it would be cursed to a gruesome death, or the blade would require regular feeding with its master's vital essence. The latter seemed more likely.
More vital essence? The Demon Subduing Pestle has already made me anemic! How am I supposed to survive if I add this Blade of Bloodlust to the mix?
Just then, Zhang Yuanqing saw the Red Dancing Shoes click-clacking toward him. With each step, a message materialized:
[ Will you dance with me? If so, please step in place. ]
He had forgotten to retrieve the item into his Inventory. As he prepared to refuse and recall the shoes, a notification from the Spirit Realm suddenly appeared in his mind:
[ Warning: Each use of this item requires a dance. Refusal will cause the Red Dancing Shoes to lose favor and initiate a relentless pursuit. ]
Zhang Yuanqing's jaw dropped slightly in surprise. This was his first time using the Red Dancing Shoes in the real world since subduing them, and he hadn't anticipated such a peculiar cost for using this Rule Item.
Dance with me or die? This was outrageous! Zhang Yuanqing rose with a forced smile. "My pleasure."
Soon, the crisp tap of dancing shoes echoed through the empty, silent parking garage.
This time, Zhang Yuanqing didn't trigger his old injury. Instead, he relied on his superhuman physique to complete the dance, though his steps faltered repeatedly.
Fortunately, as the Master, he was spared the Red Dancing Shoes' wrath.
After the dance, the Red Dancing Shoes crossed their right foot behind, rose onto their toes, and performed a curtsy.
Just as Zhang Yuanqing retrieved the Red Dancing Shoes into his Inventory, his ears twitched, catching the sound of hurried footsteps approaching from the steep ramp.
Looking toward the sound, he saw Li Dongze leading Guan Ya and seven or eight unfamiliar Spirit Realm Walkers charging into the underground garage.
Some carried guns, others wielded knives, and one even clutched a cat—all fully armed.
Thank goodness I finished the dance already, Zhang Yuanqing thought, immensely relieved.