Chapter Nineteen: The Soul Box! The Secret of Power
“What are you doing!”
Qi Xiaoyun, standing nearby, saw Wan Bie Ling launch a sneak attack on Mi Chen.
In an instant, she rushed forward.
Although her speed was extremely fast and bolstered by colorless magic, she was, after all, only a one-star hunter.
Wan Bie Ling lightly blocked and then lifted her foot, delivering a heavy kick that severely injured Qi Xiaoyun.
The magic power she unleashed was just a step away from the threshold of a three-star hunter.
Clearly, she had concealed her true strength.
Wan Bie Ling pressed the pitch-black flesh orb held in her severed hand, then casually discarded the severed arm onto the ground like trash.
She toyed with the orb, roughly the size of a ping-pong ball, in her palm, her eyes burning with heat and madness.
“Didn’t expect that bastard’s soul box to be short just by two. Two people just came knocking at my door!”
“Ha ha ha, truly heaven-sent!”
Wan Bie Ling laughed uproariously, glanced disdainfully at the fallen Qi Xiaoyun, and said, “I’ll deal with you later.”
After the earlier fight, she realized Mi Chen’s strength was exaggerated.
Even among two-star hunters, few possessed such power.
If she didn’t prioritize killing him, Wan Bie Ling’s heart would not rest easy.
That was why she had been hiding her strength all along, striking only when least expected.
She slowly approached Mi Chen.
At this moment, Mi Chen was half-kneeling, his head bowed weakly, fresh blood dripping from his chest onto the ground.
Wan Bie Ling drew a dagger.
Her weapon was a triangular military dagger, designed so that when it penetrated flesh, muscle contraction would prevent the blade from sticking, allowing for quick withdrawal and follow-up moves.
“Such a pity for your excellent knife skills.”
“Just bad luck meeting me. You all have to die!”
Her expression suddenly turned ferocious as she raised the dagger to stab at Mi Chen’s neck.
Blood splattered!
But it wasn’t Mi Chen’s—
It was Wan Bie Ling’s.
“Ah!!!”
She screamed in terror, clutching the wound on her face, staring at Mi Chen in disbelief.
“You... how... are you still standing...”
Mi Chen slowly rose.
“Heh, you dodge pretty fast.”
“Did I ever say I was injured?”
It turned out Wan Bie Ling hadn’t hit his vital spot.
The blood was merely from a previously unhealed wound sustained in a fight with a scythe worm.
“I always suspected there was something off about you.”
Mi Chen twisted his neck and loosened his shoulders.
“I didn’t originally want to kill you, but you dared to injure my senior sister.”
Wan Bie Ling had gravely injured Qi Xiaoyun, and harming family was Mi Chen’s absolute bottom line.
No matter who it was, they would pay the most terrible price.
His eyes grew icy, radiating killing intent.
Wan Bie Ling was no saint either.
She sneered coldly, “Fine, fine, you’re truly a ruthless one.”
“But that’s good. The higher your soul strength, the better the soul box’s quality will be, which means greater help for me!”
Soul box?
Mi Chen frowned.
Though he didn’t know exactly what that was, he absolutely could not let Wan Bie Ling use it.
He moved to strike immediately.
At the same time, Wan Bie Ling swallowed all the dusk potions she had on her.
Mi Chen’s blade slashed toward her, but it was too late.
Unexpectedly, Wan Bie Ling raised her hand and casually blocked the blade.
Then, a tremendous magical power exploded from within her.
Boom!
That magic surged like a hurricane, flinging Mi Chen backward.
He steadied himself, alarmed by the terrifying magic.
“Isn’t she afraid the potion’s effects will overwhelm her and cause her body to explode...”
Surprisingly, despite consuming all the dusk potions, Wan Bie Ling did not explode.
Her body was engulfed in blazing scarlet magic, which swirled and gathered at her heart.
If one could detect her heartbeat now, it would exceed 300 beats per minute.
“I didn’t want to use the soul box so soon, but as long as I kill you, it will all be worth it!”
She raised the black orb and thrust it fiercely into her right palm.
In a blink, the vast magic instantly vanished, as if absorbed entirely by the orb.
With a whoosh!
Wan Bie Ling vanished.
In the next instant, she appeared before Mi Chen.
Mi Chen raised his blade to block her attack, but the next second, she was at his side.
Countless fireballs shot out like bullets from a machine gun.
Mi Chen swung his blade continuously, cutting down the incoming fireballs without pause.
Beneath Wan Bie Ling’s feet, a fiery magic array appeared, accelerating her speed once more.
Mi Chen intended to evade but was caught off guard when a similar staff appeared beneath his feet.
Red Lotus Arrow Barrage!
Three arrows shot out, interrupting Wan Bie Ling’s assault.
But as a sorcery-type hunter, mid-to-long range combat was Wan Bie Ling’s specialty.
The fiery javelin formed almost instantly.
A javelin came flying.
There was no time to dodge.
Steel bracers!
The bracers enhanced both defense and offense.
Mi Chen swung his blade, cutting the fiery javelin in two.
Immediately after, a serpentine wind blade—a cyan blade moving at high speed—rushed toward Wan Bie Ling.
She tried to dodge, but the winding wind blade skillfully changed trajectory midair, zigzagging to strike her directly!
Boom!
A massive explosion erupted, thick dust rising across the battlefield.
Mi Chen knew well that the serpentine wind blade alone wasn’t enough to kill Wan Bie Ling, and that her previous attacks were mere tests.
From the dust, Wan Bie Ling dusted herself off.
Her hair spread out, floating in the air under the influence of magic.
“Heh heh heh, your moves are really unusual. I’ve never met a reinforcement-type hunter like you.”
Mi Chen snorted coldly, “Your power isn’t just about shooting fireballs, is it?”
Wan Bie Ling smiled cruelly, “Too bad you’ll never know.”
In battles between hunters, intelligence is paramount—
The type of magical circuit, abilities, skills, equipment, even items...
Wan Bie Ling was indeed a sorcery-type hunter, but what exactly was her ability?
For a moment, Mi Chen was at a loss.
Just then, Wan Bie Ling launched another fiery javelin.
Mi Chen chopped it apart with his blade.
On the other side, Wan Bie Ling unleashed a barrage of fireballs, quickly engulfing Mi Chen.
He dodged, but her speed was astonishing.
She flickered to his side, dagger poised to pierce his heart.
“Is she really a sorcery-type hunter? Why is she so fast?”
Mi Chen activated his steel bracers.
The silver armor blocked Wan Bie Ling’s stab.
“Wait, the speed!”
In the instant their attacks clashed, Mi Chen noticed something odd in the magic fluctuations along Wan Bie Ling’s movement path.
Recalling his earlier battle with the scythe worm, which was slowed by a magic array he had set, it all became clear.
Wan Bie Ling’s ability wasn’t related to elemental fire—it was speed!
“Have you discovered me!”
A fiery red magic array appeared on Wan Bie Ling’s dagger suddenly.
She inhaled sharply and unleashed a blazing heat ray.
The searing beam pierced Mi Chen’s left shoulder with incredible speed, scorching the flesh.
Enduring the pain, Mi Chen wielded the serpentine wind blade again.
The cyan blade twisted and turned midair, about to strike Wan Bie Ling.
But suddenly, a fiery red magic array formed around her body.
The wind blade’s speed dropped drastically, halting midair.
“You’re the first to uncover my ability so quickly. I’ve been a two-star hunter for so long and never heard of you. Who exactly are you!”
Wan Bie Ling’s expression brimmed with confidence.
Her fusion with the soul box had deepened; techniques she couldn’t use before now came easily and instantly.
Her growing power fed her immense arrogance.
To her, Mi Chen was as good as dead.
She raised her hand, summoning a fiery red magic array.
Magic surged within the array, and in the next moment, a fireball formed.
“This is my ability, ‘Gate of Speed,’ which can alter the velocity of magic. Those fireballs you see are just minor modifications I made to enhance my power.”
She tore open her clothes, revealing skin beneath.
Her chest was covered with stitched scars, and at the center of the sutures was a glowing red orb.
“An artificial circuit!”
Mi Chen’s face showed shock.
He hadn’t expected Wan Bie Ling to be so ruthless.
Artificial circuits were a surgical procedure strictly banned long ago.
A hunter’s magic originates from their magical circuit, whose type, attributes, and abilities are fixed from awakening.
But could another circuit be implanted to grant new powers?
This idea was realized by a scientist known as “Shen Luo.”
He created the artificial circuit.
However, because it was dangerously uncontrollable, it was swiftly banned by the Secret Realm Management Bureau.
Shen Luo vanished soon after.
His research was uploaded online, and some mad researchers and underground doctors developed various degraded versions of the circuit using magical materials and monster cores as substitutes.
While these couldn’t grant new abilities, they could provide additional magical attributes.
Wan Bie Ling had implanted a degraded artificial circuit, granting her the attribute of magical fire.
Mi Chen knew so much about artificial circuits because he once considered this method for hunters.
But he soon realized it was an evil path!
Artificial circuits greatly amplify magic, enhancing strength rapidly, but the resulting magic rejection reaction harms the central nervous system, driving one to extremity.
Seeing Mi Chen’s expression of disbelief and disdain, Wan Bie Ling sneered sharply, “Hunters like you will never understand.”
She laughed uncontrollably, “The hunter’s world is a cruel one that only respects strength.”
“Strength means money! Strength means resources! Strength means everything!!!”
“Do you know how much I’ve sacrificed for power?!”
“Do you know?!”
Her voice turned into a roar.
Her once beautiful face twisted by madness, eyes bloodshot, pale skin veined and taut.
“Die!”
Wan Bie Ling raised her hand.
A fiery red Gate of Speed appeared beneath Mi Chen’s feet.
The flow of magic around him slowed drastically.
Wan Bie Ling created another Gate of Speed in front of herself.
Passing through it, her figure vanished in an instant, fiery wings blazing as she charged toward Mi Chen.
Mi Chen planted his crimson blade before him.
The blade shimmered with a sharp, cold light.
He didn’t use any skills.
“Die!”
Flames engulfed Wan Bie Ling as she roared.
Boom!!!
The ground trembled, dust swirling wildly.
“Ha ha, finally dead!”
Wan Bie Ling looked back, but Mi Chen was nowhere to be seen.
Her thoughts turned to the soul box.
After killing someone, the soul box automatically absorbed their soul and life essence.
She raised her right hand.
Her expression shifted from doubt to terror, then to frenzied rage.
“My hand?!”
She screamed a piercing wail.
Her entire right arm had disappeared, not to mention the soul box embedded in her palm.
*Cough, cough.*
From the dust came Mi Chen’s voice: “Only the magic flow slowed, but my blade hasn’t.”
He held Wan Bie Ling’s severed arm in one hand.
He glanced at the black orb in her palm, ominous energy radiating from it.
He sneered.
Now truly afraid, Wan Bie Ling, fearing Mi Chen would destroy the soul box, changed her tone and pleaded, “Mu Chen, please, just give me back the soul box. I’ll do whatever you want.”
“Oh? Whatever I want?”
Wan Bie Ling grasped at hope.
“Of course, anything you want, I’ll satisfy you!”
“As long as you return the soul box!”
“You want the soul box so badly.”
“Then tell me, what exactly is it?”
Wan Bie Ling froze.
She wanted to speak but couldn’t utter a word.
“Not going to say?”
“Then I’ll just destroy it.”
Mi Chen said as he prepared to crush the black orb.
“No, no, I’ll tell you! I’ll tell you!”
“The soul box is...”
Before she could finish, Wan Bie Ling’s severed arm burst into blazing flames.
Then, a fiery red Gate of Speed appeared.
With a whoosh, the arm flew back to her side.
Wan Bie Ling grabbed her arm and immediately used the Gate of Speed to escape.
She had given up on killing Mi Chen and Qi Xiaoyun.
Though she couldn’t charge the soul box now, preserving it was enough.
Watching Wan Bie Ling flee across the Slave Graveyard, Mi Chen did not pursue.
He coldly watched her escape beyond the Slave Bridge.
At the moment she was about to cross, he snapped his fingers.
Boom!
Wan Bie Ling’s arm exploded violently.
The Red Lotus Mark.
“Thought you could tamper with your arm, huh.”
Mi Chen slowly approached Wan Bie Ling.
He knew the mark’s power wasn’t enough to kill her outright, but it would disable her for the time being.
Her pale skin was blown to a bloody pulp.
She lay on the ground, cursing Mi Chen with the vilest words.
The explosion likely shattered her vocal cords, so Mi Chen couldn’t hear clearly what she said.
Her voice was muffled.
He guessed he wouldn’t learn the origin of the soul box from her.
Mi Chen drew his blade, ready to end her life.
Killing was something Mi Chen never hesitated about.
He was accustomed to death.
With a single stroke, he severed Wan Bie Ling’s head.
Looking at the corpse before him, he felt no emotion.
Suddenly, he thought of the soul box.
He scanned the surroundings, unsure where the orb had been blasted off to.
“Can’t find it, whatever. It’s probably nothing good anyway...”
“Killing hunters to collect souls... could this be related to what Meng Shi mentioned?”
Recalling Meng Shi’s earlier warning about many hunters being brutally murdered in the secret realm—
Serial killings, soul boxes...
Too bad he hadn’t extracted any useful information from Wan Bie Ling.
Mi Chen planned to return and have a thorough talk with Meng Shi.
Just as he turned to leave—
Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle...
The sound of flesh shifting came from behind.
He looked back.
Wan Bie Ling’s corpse was swelling and mutating...
On the twisted flesh, Mi Chen noticed a small silver insect slowly writhing.
“Curse backlash!”