Chapter 1387
Chapter 1387 - 1383: The Nightmare Begins
1,552 words
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8 min read
Lu Ping’an strategically retreated, or rather...
"Wind’s tight, hoist the sail!"
Lu, without a moment’s hesitation, bolted.
And those in his battle group who had received his orders ran even sooner than he did.
Bane wanted to pursue... but then a new wave of even more bloated Spider Demons appeared before him! And while the Beast Tamer and Gourmet might be strong and command legions, speed was never their thing.
He could perhaps abandon his legion and catch up... but no matter how one looked at it, it was an utterly foolish choice.
Lu Ping’an lightly stepped onto an ancient tree, his well-practiced ski-rope technique fully deployed, pulling away in just a few moves.
"Lu Ping’an!" All that was left behind him were roars and screams.
For Bane... the curse, or rather the long nightmare of a night, was just beginning.
But the last thing his Clairvoyance saw was that man’s shaking butt... uh, followed by a provocative blown kiss.
"...Lu Ping’an."
Lu Ping’an turned around to see Big Cat with a "what on earth are you doing" expression on her face.
"Uh, if I say that I was taunting to make him lose control and allow the curse to take effect more easily, would you believe me?"
Big Cat fell silent for a moment, then tilted her head, showing a sweet smile fitting for her outward age.
"...Did you find that Moon God Fragment? It shouldn’t be far, right?"
𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚
Such a fake smile, such poor topic-changing skills, but it seemed to have done the trick.
At least, Lu Ping’an hoped that this little dark history of his was unseen (later, Xue En: "You delete my photo, and I’ll delete yours!").
Back to the matter at hand, Lu casually tossed out a "Pharmaceutical," which easily threw off the pursuing beast swarm.
Tracking in this nose-freezing weather was hard enough, let alone when his side had the support of a Rule-level Magic Alchemist and a Quasi-God level Beast Tamer... Classic Lu Ping’an, now undetectable to most Magic Pets due to some smeared potion.
When it came to the mobility of group movement, Lu, with his "Courtyard," was absolutely ahead.
As he widened the distance, Lu also briefly explained to his team...
"Going head-to-head with Bane, our chances of winning are slim, and even if we did win, our casualties would likely exceed ninety percent. But not being able to defeat him doesn’t mean we don’t have a chance to kill him..."
Unlike the hot-headed Chris, Lu Ping’an, who fully understood Bane, remained calm... the cold kind of calm, deliberating whether this snowy land was the place to slay Bane once and for all.
"...We’re just not there yet..." Lu Ping’an’s eyes, which saw more than anyone’s, had already caught sight of Bane’s hidden cards.
Lu Ping’an was advancing quickly, with substantial resources, but compared to an old eighth-tier who had lived a century, who now had control over the Mother Goddess cult and countless resources to build with?
Both belonging to the Life system, they understood all too well how preposterously powerful you could grow with enough resources.
A frontal engagement would not only imply the difficulty of dealing with the overwhelming beast swarm with high-end combat power but also the ensuing exhaustion and injuries... Not to mention, Bane’s true form was always an inescapable factor.
"...God knows how many transformations he has."
While the Gourmet was unlike some comic characters who burst out of their clothes after a feast, it was quite normal to transform while snacking and fighting... or should I say, to use "Gourmet" to refresh and adjust the situation.
Among the abilities on the Tamer’s Path, there were plenty similar to this, and when combining two such tenaciously life-bound Professions, it was beyond exhausting and challenging to kill him, especially since he always seemed so close to Death’s door.
What Lu Ping’an found utterly unacceptable was that no matter how he calculated, if he pushed Bane into a corner, his last stand would at least take two Rule-level comrades with him.
Lu Ping’an had already determined he must kill him, yet he did not want to pay such a heavy price.
"...The Logistics Team is bringing out weapons tailored for him, flesh samples are sufficient, he tore off flesh twice..." The logistics were hard at work, but Lu Ping’an did not have much hope.
After all, an old eighth-tier and a new eighth-tier are simply not on the same level, a Big Shot who is one step away from Quasi-God, Lu Ping’an felt that his backyard logistics group couldn’t do much.
Lu Ping’an estimated that even if he truly destroyed his body... a high-tier life with undying nature—who doesn’t have one? Maybe he would just switch bodies and come back to fight.
If Lu Ping’an’s resources were at 100, this guy might well be over a thousand, and even if due to the constraints of the ice and snow environment he could only bring out two to three hundred, Lu Ping’an might possibly win if he went all out... He felt that even if he won, it would be a complete loss; fighting until his resources were drained and losing a core member for such a nearly dead old man was just too foolish.
"So, that curse of yours, can it kill him?"
Big Cat, in the end, still asked the question.
"It’s hard... but it’s even harder for him to get rid of it."
The four-part curse’s most malicious aspect is actually its possessive nature.
There’s that Rule-level "Female Ghost," and until her grudge is extinguished, she will naturally infinitely repeat her doomsday... This "reiteration ability" was valued by Lu Ping’an, becoming the "core" of his painting.
This is, in theory, a soul curse that can be repeated infinitely, and in practice, it means that even tearing off flesh and changing the body is not likely to wipe it out.
So, is there a way to expel it?
"High-level Healers should have one, High-Tier Scholars too, hmm, the prerequisite is at least seventh-tier, hehe, and high-level Painters..."
Lu Ping’an spoke of theoretical, conventional solutions, but if in the inland Eastern Country, these people Bane would be able to find, but now in this land of ice and snow...
"...And I won’t give him the time to stop and lift the curse."
Lu Ping’an’s curse is most distressing because as soon as you pay attention to it, it’s like you’ve seen "her," awakened her, and let the curse forcibly activate.
Whoever wants to lift the curse has to first get used to this nauseating aspect of "not being able to think, not being able to look"; this requires time and a place to settle down, none of which Lu Ping’an would provide.
Lu Ping’an did not expect Bane to be killed by this curse... but he would endure constant pain and torment, being pushed to the edge both mentally and physically, and a high-tier professional who has already reached their limit fears nothing more than constantly using abilities, as this brings them closer to the brink of losing control.
Next, Lu Ping’an would patiently wait for Bane to be tormented and weakened by the curse, and would continue to harass, probe, and attack.
He was not lying, he was indeed trying to enrage Bane in all aspects... but from the results, the opponent’s emotions were actually quite stable, worthy of an old strong hand.
"At least, we cannot have a final battle in the battlefield set up by the opponent, especially when the opponent is a Beast Tamer."
Within that Domain, Lu Ping’an’s Eye of Truth informed him that countless Hibernating Demons lay buried underneath, and if Lu Ping’an’s group was foolish enough to engage in a war of attrition in that area, the tactic of the beast swarm adding fuel would be endless.
"And now, we actually have the initiative..."
Lu Ping’an seemed to be running away, but in actuality, the "Eye of Truth" was still firmly locked onto Bane.
Ambush when tired? Disrupt while dispelling the curse? Randomly charge and kill a few Magical Beasts? Poison in the Magical Beast Feed?
When Lu Ping’an had the initiative on the battlefield, there were too many things he could do.
He had already made up his mind, since Bane had already become designated as a mortal enemy...
"Since you’ve come, don’t think about going back. This Land of Ice and Snow as a graveyard, is quite fitting."
"...Thank you." Suddenly, a somewhat childish voice of thanks echoed in Lu Ping’an’s ear.
Was it thanking Lu Ping’an for his dedication? Or his resolute determination to kill? Or perhaps, simply because what Lu Ping’an had done was to vent for him?
"Thank me after you kill him." And Lu Ping’an, as ever, wore a calm expression, then the next moment he happily smiled.
"Ha, the curse has been activated again." At least that’s what Lu Ping’an said.
— End of Chapter 1387 —