Chapter 195: Phantom City, Abominations
Chapter 195: Phantom City, Abominations
"Divine Messenger!"
"You must be a Divine Messenger from another Phantom City."
Little John snapped back to his senses, his face filled with elation, and his body tensed involuntarily due to his excitement:
"Only a Divine Messenger can kill an Abomination!"
Divine Messenger?
He must be referring to me.
Phantom City?
Where the locals reside?
A Divine Messenger from another Phantom City? So, this little guy lives in a place similar to mine?
Abomination?
That must be the aberrant beings born during the world's decline.
His mind raced with thoughts, but Karl's expression remained unchanged. He calmly asked, "What's your name? Where are you from? Why are you here?"
"I'm John." Little John calmed his excitement and replied earnestly, "I'm from a nearby Phantom City. I came here to find Meatworms. There should be a Meatworm nest around here."
"Meatworms? Nest?" Karl's eyes flickered, and he gently grabbed the ground not far away, summoning a white worm nest from beneath the earth with an unseen force.
"Boom!"
The ground erupted, and a white worm nest flew out from the soil, landing in front of Little John.
"Is this it?" Karl asked.
"Yes!" Little John exclaimed, his body trembling with excitement. He nodded vigorously, "There's indeed a Queen Worm. For the next six months... Divine Messenger, this is your reward."
"Answer a few questions for me, and it's yours." Karl glanced at the so-called Meatworm, shaking his head lightly, "I'm from a distant place, and some things are unclear to me. The Divine Messenger you mentioned..."
"A Divine Messenger is someone who possesses divine power!" Little John spoke with certainty, "Only a Divine Messenger can fly and kill Abominations."
"Abominations?"
"That Terror Demon you mentioned earlier is an Abomination." Little John explained, a hint of suspicion flashing in his eyes, "Abominations are usually classified into three ranks, with Rank 1 being the strongest and Rank 3 the weakest. Terror Demons are Rank 3 Abominations."
"Hmm..."
"Above Rank 1 Abominations are Nightmare Rank, Despair Rank, and Catastrophe Rank. But to us, they're all the same. Encountering any of them means death."
This was common knowledge for anyone living in a Phantom City, regardless of which one, unless...
He's not human! Little John's heart tightened, but he dared not show it on his face.
"Hmm." Karl seemed deep in thought, "So, a Phantom City is where you live? Where is it?"
"Over there!" Little John pointed in the distance, his eyes glinting with determination, and he asked softly, "Are you going there?"
"Yes." Karl nodded, waved his sleeve, and summoned a magic carpet. It lifted both of them into the sky, "You guide the way."
"Huh? Oh!" Little John, who had never seen a magic carpet before, let alone flown, was initially surprised but quickly understood, "That way."
To hide his surprise, Little John looked down at the worm nest in his arms.
The so-called Meatworms were worm-like creatures, snow-white and covered in a slimy film.
The Queen Worm was the size of a fist, a fleshy ball.
Meatworms fed on soil, and the excess nutrients went to the Queen Worm, which laid eggs to maintain the population.
Little John's throat moved as he picked up a Meatworm and offered it to Karl, "Divine Messenger, you should eat first."
"No, thank you."
Karl shook his head speechlessly at the sight of the slimy, wriggling Meatworm, "I'm not hungry."
"Oh!"
Little John was a bit surprised by Karl's refusal, as if he hadn't expected someone to decline such an offer.
Then he opened his mouth and stuffed an entire Meatworm inside, closing his eyes in delight as he rolled it around with his tongue.
The faint sound of chewing was audible.
"Little John."
After he swallowed the Meatworm, Karl spoke, "You mentioned Terror Demons are Rank 3 Abominations. What about Rank 1 Abominations? How do you protect yourselves?"
"Nearby Rank 1 Abominations include the Thousand Claw Beast, Sin Statue, and Ghost Echo..." Little John began, "I've only seen the Thousand Claw Beast."
As he spoke its name, his eyes revealed deep-seated fear and bone-deep hatred.
"Phantom Cities have Martial Skills and Divine Techniques, but only Divine Messengers can deal with Abominations. Others can only flee to survive."
Divine Techniques?
Karl looked at Little John and shook his head slightly.
The so-called Divine Techniques were not blessings granted by deities; he didn't carry their aura.
The deities of this world had long perished.
Sin Statue?
Karl's thoughts turned to the stone he had encountered recently, and he continued, "Then, is the Death Wraith a special rank?"
"Death Wraith?" Little John nodded, and it seemed this term was universal. He explained, "That's Nightmare Rank!"
"Such beings are challenging even for a Divine Messenger to handle, and..."
"Death Wraith!"
His words were abruptly cut off by a shrill scream. Before them, a Death Wraith stood silently, its eyes glowing with demonic intent.
This was the Nightmare-Class Malevolent Entity he spoke of—the Death Wraith!
Encountering such an abomination outside, one could only hope to escape into the Phantom City, for there would be no other outcome.
Little John's face was filled with despair.
Special-Class Abominations couldn't be killed, and even Divine Messengers could only temporarily drive them away.
In most cases, Divine Messengers would actively flee.
Little John, overwhelmed with shock and despair, didn't notice the disappearance of a person beside him until a Buddha statue appeared in mid-air.
Thousand Buddha Hands!
Karl's eyes narrowed, and as he formed hand seals, an invisible pressure descended, forcing the Death Wraith into the ground.
Hmm?
A sudden burst of inspiration stirred something within Karl.
This is...
The feeling of a breakthrough?
He had been stuck in the Ten-Hand Realm of Thousand Buddha Hands for a long time, and due to the Divine Domain Fragment, he had already achieved perfection in the Ten-Hand Realm.
But he still couldn't advance to the Hundred Hands Realm.
Again!
His eyes lit up, and Karl transformed into a streak of light, rushing towards the underground.
Karl unleashed the Thousand Buddha Hands—Great Luminescence Seal! After several clashes with the Death Wraith, he discovered that only the Great Luminescence Seal had a restraining effect on it.
"Peng!"
"Peng!"
The two figures collided madly within the ruins.
The hard ground beneath them became as soft as tofu, crumbling, twisting, and even tearing.
"Die!"
Thousand Buddha Hands—Vajra!
Forming a hand seal, Karl struck the Death Wraith with a powerful, sun-like energy, shattering its body.
"Boom!"
A Crystal Staff appeared, probing the Wraith's body.
Purifying Radiance!
A glowing aura slowly emerged, and the already fragile soul body quietly dissipated, leaving behind a black soul core.
"What a pity."
Karl collected the soul core, his face filled with regret.
"Just a little more."
If Thousand Buddha Hands could break through to the Hundred Hands Realm, he estimated that he could have destroyed the Death Wraith even without the Crystal Staff.
Then,
The chances of advancing to the Second Rank Holy Knight would greatly increase.
Shaking his head, Karl dashed towards the Magic Carpet, reeling it in, and grabbed Little John.
The commotion had attracted many creatures, so it was not the time to linger.
"You..."
Little John was dumbfounded.
"You... you killed the Nightmare-Class Death Wraith?"
"Kill?"
Karl pondered for a moment.
"I suppose you could say that."
Death Wraiths thrived on the essence of death, and for them, there was no concept of being killed or dying.
They,
Were not living beings.
"You... you actually killed a Nightmare-Class Abomination. How... how is that possible?" Little John exclaimed, still in shock.
"They can't be killed?"
Karl began to explain, but suddenly his eyebrows arched, and he pinched John's shoulder.
"Your body..."
"Open your mouth!"
He pulled open John's mouth, examining his teeth and oral cavity, and then felt his skeleton.
'His mouth has glands that can emit lightning, and his bones and internal organs are unusual. This little guy's body has been modified and can no longer be considered purely human.'
'No!'
'It must be an evolution to adapt to the environment, which explains why he shows no signs of rejection even when flying at Thunder God's Wings.'
'Interesting!'
'Are all the people here like this?'
Karl's eyes flickered.
"What martial skills and divine techniques have you learned?"
"Well..." Little John was still in shock and stammered, "For skills, I've learned Concealment, Thunderclap, and Spirit Hands. For divine techniques, I've studied Thunder Saliva, Bone Purification, and Divine Stone Affinity."
Strange names.
Karl pursed his lips and asked, "Is that the Phantom City over there?"
"Yes!"
Little John followed his gaze, his face filled with joy, and nodded vigorously.
"That's where we live."
Today's encounter had been thrilling and dangerous, filled with all sorts of strange experiences.
"Divine Messenger."
Little John spoke softly, "What should I call you?"
"Karl."
Karl landed near what Little John called the Phantom City and looked ahead.
Phantom City?
To him, it was merely a dilapidated little village.
The village was built around a mineral deposit, and an invisible force enveloped it, protecting its residents.
This force...
Seemed to emanate from the mineral deposit.
(End of Chapter)
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