Chen Guan had been cheering himself on for quite a while without seeing any effect. He refused to believe his Cheerleader's Soul talent was ineffective on himself. Perhaps his potential was simply too great, like Qin Ziyu's case, where ordinary words of encouragement couldn't affect him—it had to hit the right spot.
But how does one find that perfect praise? Chen Guan himself didn't know. The hardest person to understand isn't others but oneself. He genuinely couldn't figure out what kind of compliments would work on him.
Of course, it was also possible that Cheerleader's Soul simply didn't work on its user.
With Rouge the rabbit charging ahead, Chen Guan fought his way toward Ji Nanhong's direction. Thanks to her presence, the horde of Shituos here was noticeably thinner, giving Chen Guan and Rouge a chance to break through.
Mid-charge, he suddenly sensed someone transferring pets to him. Reacting instinctively, Chen Guan accepted, watching as white light particles flew into his body—two Mutated Shituos instantly became his pets.
The moment he summoned one, he spotted Qin Ziyu fighting nearby with two Mutated Shituo pets of his own.
"Qin Ziyu!" Chen Guan's face lit up with joy.
In such a short time, Qin Ziyu had already acquired multiple Mutated Shituo pets—his Pet Charm talent was truly monstrous.
With an additional Mutated Shituo pet sharing the burden, Chen Guan's pressure eased considerably.
Chen Guan thought to himself: "Wang Lian dying would be for the best. If she falls here among the Shituos, it has nothing to do with me. Even if the Wang family wants to make trouble, they can't pin it on me."
"Our only way out is following Ji Nanhong's charge," Chen Guan shouted to Qin Ziyu.
"Got it," Qin Ziyu responded, taking point alongside Rouge. With Mutated Shituos guarding both flanks, Chen Guan brought up the rear with another Mutated Shituo.
Chen Guan watched as Qin Ziyu killed several Shituos, their bodies dissolving into particles that flew into him. In no time, he'd gained several more pets.
Meanwhile, despite fighting just as long and killing just as many Shituos, Chen Guan hadn't acquired a single pet.
It was unfortunate that before Second Awakening, one could only summon two pets for battle simultaneously. Otherwise, Qin Ziyu could probably field an entire Shituo squad by himself.
"Something's off... I've been killing nonstop—at least twenty, maybe thirty Shituos by now. No pets is one thing, but not even a single Secret Core?" Suspicion dawned on Chen Guan. "It must be the Evil Buddha's Kapala Necklace. Is its luck-draining effect really this strong?"
The necklace was currently in Chen Guan's possession. He'd assumed its effects only activated when worn, but apparently just carrying it was enough.
"Could being trapped by the Shituo horde also be the necklace's doing? Otherwise, what are the odds we'd encounter them right when we arrived..." Chen Guan's expression turned peculiar.
He considered ditching the necklace, but without it, defeating a Legendary-grade Mystical Spirit would be near impossible.
"Ji Nanhong is impressively strong—she's almost broken through. No point dwelling on this now. We need to catch up before she clears the encirclement. Without her leading the charge, escaping will become much harder." Having reached this conclusion, Chen Guan yelled to Qin Ziyu, "Speed up! We need to stay with Ji Nanhong!"
Qin Ziyu didn't respond verbally, but his sword strokes became faster and fiercer. Rouge performed steadily too, her Bloodsucking Blade hacking left and right, sending blood and severed limbs flying.
The group pushed forward with everything they had, chasing after Ji Nanhong's advancing figure.
Ahead, Ji Nanhong faced increasing resistance. Having already slain at least three Masters of Shituo Forest, two more now blocked her path.
Her Red-Tasseled Spear whirled like a tornado, forcibly suppressing both Masters. Ordinary and Mutated Shituos that charged nearby were cut down by a sword she summoned with her free hand.
A glance backward revealed Qin Ziyu and that violent cute rabbit pet charging her way, clearly following her lead. This gave her pause.
She'd come to lure out the Shituo King—why were they following?
They were competent, yes, but clearly not Level 10 yet. Their combat power couldn't compare to hers, let alone match the Shituo King.
But there was no time to ponder. Focusing entirely on the two Masters, she fought them simultaneously, overwhelming both despite being outnumbered.
By the time Ji Nanhong's spear pierced one Master's skull, Chen Guan and Qin Ziyu had closed most of the distance.
After dispatching the second Master, she spared them a glance but said nothing, continuing forward.
Chen Guan thought, "What's that look for? We're just following—not getting in your way."
Seeing few Shituos remaining ahead and Ji Nanhong nearing the encirclement's edge, Chen Guan urged Rouge and Qin Ziyu to hurry.
Soon, they emerged from the Shituo horde right behind Ji Nanhong.
"We made it!" Chen Guan cheered internally, then grew puzzled when Ji Nanhong stopped after breaking free instead of continuing. Discover more novels at NoveI-Fire.ɴet
"Why isn't she leaving? Waiting to get surrounded again?" Something felt wrong. Chen Guan halted too, scanning ahead but finding nothing.
As the pursuing Shituo horde drew nearer, Chen Guan hesitated about continuing when suddenly—the rocky ground ahead split open with a massive fissure. A grotesque figure crawled out.
"Figure" wasn't quite accurate—it comprised two skeletal forms resembling Masters of Shituo Forest fused together, yet distinct from regular Shituos.
Like two Shituos grafted back-to-back, each retaining their own head, arms, and legs.
Their jade-white bodies stood taller than regular Masters. One skeletal hand gripped a spike-covered bone club over a meter long; the other dragged an oversized Kapala bowl similar to the Water Burial Buddha's but larger, filled with brighter crimson blood whose metallic stench carried even at a distance.
All four eyes glowed with terrifying bloodlight as black mist swirled around their forms like tattered robes, radiating pure malevolence.
"This is... the Tomb Lord..." Chen Guan stared at the abomination, unsure whether this counted as fortune or misfortune.