245: Chapter 244 Death

"The three rewards are all very good."

But Chu Xuan rejected the "night cloak" immediately.

He already possessed the [Forbidden Darkness] skill, which increased resistance to The Gloom's erosion by 10,000%. For ordinary life forms with spirit and stamina below 50, their strength and agility were unlikely to be very high either, so he could handle them himself.

This item was more helpful to those with weaker strength, but Chu Xuan hadn't reached the level of "helping the world when successful" yet; he couldn't afford to waste another reward selection opportunity.

Next was the "werewolf kill card". This type of item, which required his personal participation and had random rules, was a desperate measure to fight a strong enemy in a life-or-death situation, and it carried a high degree of uncertainty.

If it were any other time, Chu Xuan would definitely have chosen it. Combined with the [Precognitive Dream] Talent, after trying to understand the random rules of the werewolf kill a few times, he could have gained a certain advantage.

However, the requirement of "8 to 12 people" and the limitation of being usable only once made Chu Xuan give up on it in the end.

After all, when facing a fatal enemy, [Future Tang Zheng] could also provide assistance. Combined with the [Precognitive Dream] Talent, this werewolf kill card could only be considered an icing on the cake.

Relatively speaking, Chu Xuan was currently more inclined toward the "jiyue crystal," an item that could Breakthrough skill limits and stably increase strength.

Whether it was killing the Azure Dragon or obtaining the [All-Cutting Slash] exclusive skill, the jiyue crystal played an indispensable role.

If he were to obtain an "exclusive skill synthesis crystal" in the future, the role of this jiyue crystal would become even more prominent.

Furthermore, Chu Xuan discovered that even after synthesizing an exclusive skill, the original "Fighter Jet Piloting" and "Basic Swordsmanship" were not forgotten.

They simply disappeared from the regular skill list, and he would no longer be able to continue increasing their Rank through special items.

In the midst of his thoughts, Chu Xuan had already made his choice.

[Your spirituality value has increased to the limit; current spirituality value: 6570]

[You have obtained a special grade life recovery potion]

[You have obtained a Transcendent Skill: Assimilation (True Authority, remaining uses: 1)]

[You have obtained jiyue crystal X5]

A test tube appeared out of thin air in his hand, containing two-thirds of a vibrant green liquid, followed immediately by five black, diamond-shaped crystals the size of a finger.

Chu Xuan nodded slightly, immediately put away the diamond crystals, grasped the life potion, and returned, heading straight in the direction of Qin Qing, who was over two hundred meters away.

There, the group was still sitting in their previous positions.

In fact, from the moment Chu Xuan left to kill the Night Demon, to completing the kill and choosing the rewards, the entire process added up to less than five minutes.

However, when Chu Xuan returned to the group, Zhang Qiang's words struck him like a heavy blow.

"Qin Qing is dead."

Hearing Zhang Qiang's words, Chu Xuan's body stiffened slightly. He hurried forward to check and indeed discovered that Qin Qing no longer had any signs of life.

She was bleeding from her seven orifices, and her entire body was covered in dense cracks, like broken porcelain. Not only could one see the flesh inside, but one could even see the ghastly white bones.

"How can this be?"

Chu Xuan was stunned and asked hurriedly, "Wasn't she able to move just a moment ago? And her state in the dormitory was similar to this, yet she was able to hold on until you came to rescue her. How is it that now..."

"Hoo—"

Zhang Qiang exhaled a long puff of thick Smoke and said softly, "The situation is different. She had long since damaged her Origin. Consuming explosive pills one after another in a short period of time completely drained the spirituality essence within her body. She was at the end of her rope; it's a miracle she could hold on until you arrived."

"And just now, when she saw you crushing the Night Demon, she bled out completely. Without her obsession, she finally closed her eyes in peace. Even if you give her the special grade life recovery potion now, it is useless."

Chu Xuan looked at Qin Qing, who was lying in a pool of blood, then at the green test tube in his hand, feeling a sense of melancholy in his heart.

"In the end, I was still a little late..." Chu Xuan murmured, looking at Qin Qing's corpse with a complex expression.

"You have already done an excellent job. I never imagined that you could grow to this level in just a few days; it simply exceeded my imagination. I had previously set a goal for you, requiring you to reach Rank 4 within half a month. Thinking about it now, it really is a bit laughable."

The Smoke spewing from Zhang Qiang's mouth increased:

"This world is becoming increasingly dangerous, and the rate at which Strange Creaturess promote is constantly accelerating. The Night Demon was stopped from promoting not long ago, yet now it has been able to open such a massive Forbidden Domain."

"This must be what Revelation spoke of. Our world is suffering from increasingly severe erosion, and the world rules seem to be evolving in a direction unfavorable to us. The super-large Dark Place that appeared inexplicably in the Huaxi region is a node for the world's invasion, as are other places around the world, and this is merely the beginning..."

With a long sigh, Zhang Qiang said, "Chu Xuan, leave Haicheng with Tang Zheng and go to the capital. The Seed Project is about to begin, and you are both the hope of humanity."

Feeling that Zhang Qiang's voice was becoming increasingly strange, Chu Xuan turned his head abruptly to look. He saw that the other man's lower body was gone, the left side of his upper torso was a bloody mess, and the Smoke on the right was gradually fading.

"What happened to you?"

As he spoke, Chu Xuan immediately handed over the potion in his hand, "Drink this quickly!"

"It's useless. Just after the survival mission settlement was completed, I chose the special grade life recovery potion, but drinking it didn't do much good; it just barely helped me hold on for a little longer."

Zhang Qiang smiled nonchalantly, "The Night Demon's power attribute was semi-realized. The damage it dealt to me ignored my intangible Smoke and directly injured my Origin."

"Although the special grade life recovery potion is strong enough, I am currently missing three-quarters of my body. It's not something that can be restored by this one bottle of potion. I am completely relying on my remaining, limited spirituality value to hold on. As time drags on, my spirituality value consumption will increase geometrically. It's just a slow death."

The Smoke Zhang Qiang exhaled increased, while his own Smoke became thinner and thinner, "Xiao Lajiao's situation should be about the same as mine..."

While speaking, Zhang Qiang glanced at Zhao Hongchan beside him. The latter looked no better than Zhang Qiang, with half of her head replaced by flames.

Blood flowed from Zhao Hongchan's wrists, constantly feeding the infant in the swaddle.

The infant's face became increasingly ferocious, gradually growing green skin and fangs, yet it greedily sucked the blood. Sharp teeth had grown in its mouth at some unknown point, making it look particularly terrifying.

Tears fell from Zhao Hongchan's eyes, evaporating due to the high heat before they could even drip down.

"Baby, I'm sorry. Mom brought you into this world, but let you suffer so much... This world is too bitter. I hope the next world won't be so bitter."

She raised a finger, the tip glowing red like a heated branding iron, and gently tapped the infant's ferocious forehead.