Severed roses danced through the air as the spirit continued trying to deal with the enraged iron bug. But whatever came into contact with the green liquid-fire, geno weapons included, would be corroded and ruined immediately.
Han Sen was terrified, even as he watched from a distance.
When he ventured closer, he cast his dongxuan aura for a better inspection of the situation he was preparing to waltz into.
The iron bug looked powerful, but in its mouth, the blood-red dagger remained firmly in place. He wasn't sure how the dagger could withstand the corrosive properties of the bug's wrath, and damage the creature at the same time.
Pang!
The spirit used everything in her power but was unable to defeat the sacred-blood class iron bug. Suddenly, the weapon she was bringing down on the iron bug caught on fire. In a flash, the phantom corrosion traveled down her weapon and onto her, setting her body alight.
The spirit's armor could not withstand the brutal fire. The flowers that clothed her were quickly burning away, and she had no choice but to remove herself from the rose-gown. She was naked once again.
"Tzzii!"
The iron bug squealed before it went against its now-unarmored foe.
But the spirit was not done for yet; she summoned another geno weapon and struck the incoming bug. Again, no damage was dealt, and the weapon was destroyed quickly. The bug did not relent.
The spirit's supply of geno weaponry was dwindling fast, and soon, she'd have no armament left to do battle with the bug. As she acknowledged this, the second-long thought was enough for the iron bug to close the gap and strike her body.
The spirit was sent flying away like a cannonball. She struck a craggy cliffside as a fire claimed her chest.
Although the spirit was quickly able to douse the fire, the iron bug was already nearly upon her once again. Its target was her chest once more.
The spirit was unable to do anything, and she was now helpless against the iron bug that was hungry for her heart.
Although the spirit would not truly die, she still looked shocked and surprised, and even fearful, for this misfortune that was to fall upon her.
But just as the spirit's hope of victory was depleted, a white shadow appeared from the nether. A pretty man, with the presence of a god, appeared behind the iron bug.
The spirit's eyes, which were nearing closure in anticipation of a defeat, opened wide with sudden surprise. She looked upon the bright light, not knowing what it was, where it had come from, or why it had appeared.
Boom!
The god-looking man's fist crackled and popped with the charge of electricity, and like a sun, it collided with the back of the iron bug.
The sun was driven directly into the iron bug's body. And as the sound of thunder echoed through the valley, the iron bug had no choice but to involuntarily surrender its body to the crushing force as it was knocked to the ground.
Katcha!
When the bug hit the dirt, Han Sen used his left hand to shove the handle of the dagger deeper and deeper into its mouth. The dagger was pushed through the bug's throat and into its body.
Where two inches of the dagger's blade had been visible, now there remained none. The entire blade and handle had been driven into the body of the iron bug.
The dagger was very sharp. It pierced through the body, and when it appeared again, it was protruding through the bug's posterior.
"Sacred-Blood Creature Iron Bug King killed. Beast soul gained. Consume its flesh to gain zero to ten sacred geno points randomly."
Han Sen was thrilled. He grabbed the iron bug's body and the dagger that was still within, and in the blinding light he had appeared with, he disappeared in a flash without a trace.
From his sudden appearance behind the bug, the subsequent punch, the use of the dagger and the even faster escape, the entire event occurred in the timeframe of about two or three seconds.
Before the spirit could even react, Han Sen had already left the valley. She wouldn't be able to find him.
As he traveled, Han Sen's super king spirit soon ran out and his body returned to normal.
He didn't dare slow down, though. He pushed on and went as far as he could, lest the spirit seek him out.
Han Sen found Qu Lanxi and Little Wind hiding in the midst of some thickets. He led them away from the area, in a direction that would take them out of Thorn Forest. The last thing Han Sen wanted was a disgruntled spirit on his tail.
Han Sen could not be a super king spirit for long, and even if he used it again to defeat the spirit, she wouldn't die. Upon her respawn, she'd only hate him more, and it would be unwise for him to make any more enemies than he had to.
If Han Sen had revealed his true face when he killed the bug, the spirit would have assuredly remembered the face of her savior. And if that had happened, it would have spelled nothing pleasant.
Therefore, Han Sen decided not to attack the spirit. He killed the bug and left, not wanting to reveal his identity.
The reason Han Sen was able to kill the iron bug was not solely due to his super king spirit, however. It was because the iron bug was already weakened and dying, anyway. He took a chance, hoping the damage he dealt would be sufficient to kill the creature. It was the dagger that killed the iron bug, though. If the dagger hadn't been there, and he hadn't been able to manipulate it, not even the super king spirit would have given him enough strength to defeat the crazed bug.
Han Sen was currently much weaker than the iron bug, and so it was difficult for him to demonstrate the true power of his super king spirit mode when going up against a foe that was so much stronger than him.
Han Sen and Qu Lanxi made for the exit of Thorn Forest. They had obtained much in their time there, and it would have been silly for them to remain much longer and not depart with the bounty they had already collected.
He couldn't have allowed the spirit to see his true face. He thought that trying to etch out a living in an area controlled by spirits would be impossible if she had seen who he was.
But Han Sen worried needlessly, because the spirit did not actually intend to chase down the person who had saved her.
Seeing Han Sen disappear as quickly as he appeared, the spirit's face wore a confused expression. She turned to peer in the direction Han Sen fled to.
"Who was that spirit?" The spirit seemed bewildered. She was not angered or annoyed by what had occurred.
She wasn't mad at Han Sen's theft of the iron bug kill, nor his claiming of the body and the dagger she had used. Her face was merely one that masked complicated thoughts.
Han Sen, not knowing this, was still quite worried. His focus now, however, was returning home safely with Qu Lanxi. They arrived back at Qing Ming Shelter without trouble.
But when they returned home, they could not find Chu Ming. The yard was in disarray, and in Han Sen's time away, he had been unable to feed the tree the waterdrops he had been giving it. The tree was now yellow, and it was beginning to look like the dead tree it had been.
When they were unable to find Chu Ming, Qu Lanxi looked terrible. Her thoughts roamed over what might have occurred during her absence.
Unknown to them, Qing Ming Knight had grown furious upon learning of the tree's death. At the gate of the shelter, Chu Ming was strung up. He had been slashed three hundred times to a state near death, and still, he remained hanging.