Chapter 126: A Dialogue with the Demon God of Fear

To his surprise, he suddenly discovered that the opponent’s life essence was still intact, though only a single strand remained.

"Damn, you really are tough to kill!"

Faced with this situation, Xiao Zi could not help but wonder if this guy was truly an A-rank. Could he be an S-rank using some skill to suppress his aura?

He was shocked, but Mu Liao was even more so.

"You... what kind of existence are you? Why go through such trouble to kill me?"

In his mind, this was all a scheme by the wraith before him—to lure him out and then ambush him.

Brilliant! Truly brilliant!

It was hard to imagine a supernatural creature possessing such cunning; it was clear that this was no ordinary creature, but one belonging to an organized group.

Seeing that his prey was not quite dead yet, Xiao Zi began to gather his resolve for a finishing blow. However, his brewing intensity was mistaken by the other for an intent to speak.

"Hmph! Even if you kill me, I will never betray Lord Daitengu! You supernatural creatures of this era trying to contend with those of our era? It is nothing but a pipe dream!"

He had it all figured out. This wraith must have been dispatched by some supernatural organization, and an elite one at that. Sending such a creature to kill him couldn't just be for the sake of his life; it had to be to investigate the boss behind him. He had already decided that even if beaten to death, he would never reveal any information about his master. It wasn't that he wasn't afraid of death, but he knew that once he talked, he would lose his utility, and that was when they would truly kill him.

But to his surprise, the moment he said these words, Xiao Zi’s eyes lit up.

"Translate that for me: what do you mean by 'creatures of your era'?"

Mu Liao was completely dumbfounded. "Ah? You don't know?"

Xiao Zi smiled. What else could "their era" be but the previous one? The system task was to absorb the life essence of a supernatural creature from the previous era. He had originally pushed this task to the back of his priorities, never expecting such a stroke of luck.

With this in mind, Xiao Zi’s gaze toward Mu Liao changed, and his smile became all the more brazen.

Unexpectedly, upon seeing Xiao Zi’s look, Mu Liao mocked him. "Hmph, stripped of your bravado, you are just an A-rank ant. Do you know what level I was in the previous era? It was a height you could never touch. Although we are the same rank now, the gap between us is as vast as heaven and earth. If it weren't for this body being so fragile, ten of you wouldn't be able to defeat me!"

Based on these words, Xiao Zi finally understood why the other’s life essence was so resilient. It was much like the "Unblemished" from back then; once that guy reached A-rank, his life essence alone was comparable to a D-rank creature. It seemed the strength of one's life essence scaled with their rank. From this creature's own words, he must have been incredibly high-ranked in the previous era, which explained why his life essence was exceptionally potent.

But was that a problem? Not at all.

"Why are you just standing there? Let me go! Otherwise, you are courting death! My life essence is not something you can just destroy!"

At this moment, Xiao Zi finally spoke: "With such high-quality life essence, how could I ever bear to destroy it?"

"What do you mean?"

His question received no response. Instead, Xiao Zi wrapped him in a cocoon of energy and plunged into the shadow world beneath the earth.

"This is... the Shadow World? You are..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Xiao Zi drew him directly into the system.

Do all creatures from the previous era talk this much?

[Congratulations to the host for completing Task 2. Reward granted: A conversation with the Fear Demon God.]

As the system’s voice faded, Xiao Zi’s vision plunged into darkness.

After about ten minutes, he strained every fiber of his being until he finally caught a glimpse of a color other than black—a deep, dark red, identical to the color of his own energy. Yet, even then, he could not perceive the true form of this so-called Fear Demon God.

"You..." Xiao Zi hesitated, wanting to speak but unsure of what to say.

"You are curious about how you came to this world, aren't you?"

An ethereal voice resonated, and Xiao Zi finally saw the full scope of his surroundings. It was a place built from piles of blood-red skulls, with a throne at the far end. Seated upon it was a humanoid figure, though its true nature remained indiscernible. He could see no expression, only a pair of blood-red eyes. Below those eyes, he could only make out a pair of hands clutching a shimmering, brilliant sword.

Here, he had his senses but no energy. The inability to use his "Blood Demon Eyes" to inspect the entity made Xiao Zi feel uneasy. Still, he stood his ground. "I am not curious at all."

When facing an existence far stronger than oneself, the best strategy is to keep them guessing about your true intentions.

"Xiao Zi, codename 'Evil Ghost,' orphan, world-class assassin, successfully assassinated multiple leaders of his own organization, known as the true king of the underground world."

Every word from the Fear Demon God made Xiao Zi’s heart race. The entity was describing his past life!

"So it was you who brought me here. What exactly do you want?"

"I feel we are the same kind of person. We are both dissatisfied with this world yet powerless to change it. I brought you here to give you a chance to alter it."

Though this statement was full of holes and Xiao Zi didn't believe a word of it, he did not argue. The weak have no right to refute the answers of the strong.

"If you have something to say, say it quickly."

"This world is far larger than you imagine."

"And then?"

"That is all. Whenever a supernatural creature reaches A-rank, I answer three questions. The three questions have been answered. Goodbye."

Xiao Zi: "..."

As the Fear Demon God’s voice faded, his world plunged back into darkness.

Is that all there is to a conversation with the Fear Demon God? That was a complete waste of time!

Just as he assumed he would be returned to the Horror Plane, a voice echoed again.

"Oh, right. You are treated differently from other creatures. When I communicate with them, I open a temporary small space, but you were pulled directly into my domain. One day here is equivalent to a year down below, so your timing might be a bit off. Mind yourself."

"Damn it, why? Isn't that troublesome?"

"You'll see in a moment!"

As the voice vanished, another ten minutes passed, and Xiao Zi returned to the surface. What did that last remark mean?

At that moment, his senses picked up an unfamiliar presence nearby. This was the Shadow World, a place accessible only through the "Spirit Shadow" skill; it was impossible for an outsider to be here. What on earth was this?

Xiao Zi instinctively turned his head to look, and suddenly, he smiled.