60: Chapter 60: Arrogance

"Those lucky enough to become vessels will surely receive the gods' favor. Those lives that were consumed have already entered the gods' embrace. All of this is grace bestowed by the gods! Praise the great Final Phantom God, the one and only True God!"

The voice in his mind became incredibly fanatical toward the end.

Chu Xuan was slightly dazed, beginning to imagine how glorious it would be to bathe in the gods' radiance, but he immediately snapped out of it: "You're using your ability to influence me again."

"Sorry, sorry, I really couldn't help myself. It's because these are my heartfelt thoughts, sincere emotions that I can't suppress..."

"So you're saying we should be grateful for being eaten by monsters like you?"

"Of course, this is grace bestowed upon you by the gods."

The voice suddenly let out a sound of surprise: "I feel it. A little fellow seems to be nearby..."

Chu Xuan's expression shifted. He felt a faint, vague sensation. He immediately understood that this was guidance provided by the other party, just like when he went to that family of four before.

The further he walked, the stronger that vague sensation in Chu Xuan's heart became, until he arrived inside a park. After passing through the woods and past a rockery, he finally heard some strange sounds coming from a small slope ahead.

"Are you coming?"

"I'm coming."

"Are you coming again?"

"Not coming anymore."

"Come again!"

"I can't come anymore."

Chu Xuan's expression became odd.

Doing this first thing in the morning?

Just then, a scream suddenly came from inside. Chu Xuan immediately pulled out his fruit knife and charged through the dense layers of forest.

After rounding a thick tree, he saw a slender monster about twenty meters ahead, crouched over a naked man, gnawing frantically.

Sharp teeth bit through flesh, and the smell of blood assailed his nose. The stench of torn internal organs instantly filled the air. The man wasn't completely dead yet; his five limbs were still twitching.

Chu Xuan didn't make a small noise running in, yet the monster seemed completely oblivious, still burying its head in the abdominal organs.

It wasn't until he was nearly ten meters away that it suddenly looked up, baring its teeth and letting out a fierce roar.

The monster's skin was ulcerated all over. Its limbs and torso were more slender than a normal human's, but its face was still that of a normal person—and a very beautiful one at that. At this moment, the blood-stained face actually carried a hint of eerie beauty.

It was as fast as a leopard, like a bolt of lightning, closing the distance in the blink of an eye.

So fast!

Chu Xuan was slightly startled. This speed seemed even faster than the Night Demon Clone.

But he didn't panic at all. His pupils glowed with silver light. While retreating rapidly in defense, he raised his hand and suddenly shouted: "Wait a moment, we are not enemies!"

Screech—

The beautiful monster landed on all fours, plowing four clearly visible long furrows into the ground. It stopped a meter away from Chu Xuan, its expression slightly dazed as it asked in a drawn-out voice:

"What... is... it?"

Chu Xuan pondered for a moment: "What is the trigger condition for you to transform into your Specter form?"

"Unsatisfied desire," the eerie face said with a hint of bashfulness.

"Alright, you can kill yourself now."

The other's expression froze for a moment, then immediately turned ferocious. It opened its mouth, about to lunge and bite.

Puchi!

Chu Xuan, who had already been prepared, struck the moment he saw the change in expression. He thrust his knife into the other's throat while simultaneously pinning its head down with his other hand.

His movements were incredibly practiced. With a horizontal cut and a hard yank, he forcibly tore off the beautiful head.

Crimson blood sprayed out wildly.

Chu Xuan utilized the effect of his 10-point agility attribute, dodging like a civet cat. He wasn't splashed by the blood, only getting some on his hands.

[You have slain Specter: Parasite. Your spirituality value +13]

[Current spirituality value: 55]

"Not bad."

Chu Xuan didn't mind the small amount. It was best to kill more Specters like this; it adds up, and he didn't have to take risks.

"This Specter is fast, but its strength is still inferior to mine, and its defense is also weaker... plus, it was easily controlled by me. This might be because its spirit attribute isn't high either...

"It can answer simple questions, but if the request clearly exceeds the other's will and produces strong resistance, the control of Heart Bewitchment will be broken immediately..."

"And using this skill over the phone seems to have a much worse effect, though it can't be ruled out that Tao Jiajia might not be an ordinary person..."

Chu Xuan looked thoughtful, summarizing the practical effects of the [Heart Bewitchment] skill. He didn't stay there; after the kill, he immediately went to the park's restroom sink to clean up.

After washing his hands, he sheathed the fruit knife, tucked it back into his waistband, and walked away quickly.

A sorrowful voice rang out in his mind:

"Poor child. Although merely a believer of a false god, it was still a Pioneer. To be killed by you like this... your sins have grown even deeper."

"I was just sending it into the gods' embrace. Isn't that also a form of grace?"

"..."

Pondering the word "Pioneer" mentioned by the other party, Chu Xuan felt a chill. But wanting to get more information about the Dark Place, he changed the subject: "I still don't know what to call you?"

"I have left my homeland but have not yet truly descended upon this world. I am not worthy of a name of my own. However, you may temporarily call me Chu Huan."

Chu Xuan: "..."

This time, it was Chu Xuan's turn to be silent.

"Just a joke, please don't take offense. You might as well use the name 'Night Demon' as an analogy and call me Phantom Demon."

"Phantom Demon..."

Chu Xuan muttered the name. He really was suffering through demonic tribulations.

His emotional fluctuations seemed hard to suppress, and since he hadn't gained any valuable information from the Phantom Demon, Chu Xuan simply stopped talking. He fiddled with his phone, which had just received a text message from Tang Zheng.

—Chu Xuan, those people just now are no good; they aren't on the same side as Qin Qing! Be careful. Although they are just ordinary people, they are carrying firearms and might move against you. They've already located your phone, so whatever you do, don't get caught. Let's leave it at that; all our phones might be tapped. Don't contact me for now; I'll find a way to resolve this.

Narrowing his eyes, Chu Xuan didn't want to be delayed by external matters before his next dream entry. After a moment's thought, he clicked on the AI search function to look for some references.

[In real life, under what circumstances can a phone not be located, including by law enforcement and national-level intelligence technology?]

After a pause, he added: [Non-criminal evasion behavior.]

The results quickly popped up with a series of explanations. In summary, even if the phone is turned off and the SIM card is removed, it can still be tracked unless it's placed in a professional "Faraday bag" to block tracking signals.

At the end, another sentence popped up: National intelligence agencies possess the most advanced and secret technologies, with capabilities far beyond public imagination.

Chu Xuan understood immediately.

If he wanted to avoid being tracked, there was only one way: throw away the phone.

But there was a problem.

[Future Tang Zheng] had contacted him through this phone. Was there some kind of "binding" effect involved?