Chapter 126: A Bountiful Harvest!

Looking at the time displayed on his screen, Wang Chen was stunned.

He felt as though he had spent at least three or four hours in that darkness, yet the time on his phone showed that barely any time had passed at all. Wang Chen certainly hadn't checked his phone during the heat of battle, and he only had a vague impression of the time before entering the dark space. However, he was certain that it was impossible for him to have spent so little time in that void—it hadn't even been a few minutes.

"Could it be a time-stop possession?" Wang Chen wondered, marveling at the formidable nature of the Blood Shadow’s possession ability.

That didn't stop him from scrambling to his feet and approaching the Deep Pool Toad, ready to finish gutting it. Despite his bizarre experience, he hadn't forgotten that he was still in the middle of a fight.

"I need to dig out the Ghoul to secure a definitive victory over the Toad," Wang Chen thought, gripping the sharp beak and continuing to slice along the wound he had previously made.

He remained vigilant, watching for any reaction from the Toad to ensure it wouldn't suddenly leap up and crush him. Although the Blood Shadow had claimed to possess the creature, Wang Chen had no idea how that actually worked. With the Blood Shadow now extinguished, he wasn't sure if the Deep Pool Toad would remain hostile, so he decided that caution was the better part of valor.

After a tense moment, Wang Chen realized the Deep Pool Toad showed no reaction at all. Previously, even while in a state of digestion, the creature’s eyes had glared at him with enough intensity to melt him. Now, however, as Wang Chen cut into its lower abdomen, its gaze remained dull and vacant. There was no muscular twitching, only the rhythmic rise and fall of its breathing.

"It’s like a vegetable now," Wang Chen observed as he continued to cut. "It seems that with the Blood Shadow gone, the Deep Pool Toad has lost its consciousness, leaving behind nothing but an empty shell. In that case, there's no need to keep carving up its belly."

He swung the Forest Storm and used the nearby Rock Hand to hoist himself onto the Toad’s head. He then gripped the sharp beak and began stabbing wildly at the creature’s skull. The Toad’s skin, once incredibly tough, was no match for the long beak of the Dragon-Devouring Vajra Eagle, which easily punctured hole after hole into it.

Suddenly, after one particularly deep thrust, Wang Chen seemed to hit a vital spot, and a notification chime rang in his ears:

【Congratulations, your level has increased to 27. All attributes have increased by 270 points.】

At the same time, several orbs of light drifted up from the Deep Pool Toad. As for the Ghoul inside the Toad’s stomach, the moment Wang Chen finished off the beast, it dissolved back into a war banner and burned to nothingness.

The Deep Pool Toad’s body collapsed abruptly, and Wang Chen jumped down from its head. After rolling to absorb the impact, he stood firm on the sandbar and proceeded to tap on the light orbs the Toad had dropped. Most were materials, but the quality was quite high; the leather and other components could likely fetch a good price. The remaining orbs contained a skill book and a piece of equipment.

【Teleport (Advanced)】
【Description: After learning this skill, you can teleport to any location within your line of sight. It can help the user break free from crowd-control effects. Note: If the user of the crowd-control skill is a higher level than the user of Teleport, the teleportation has a chance to fail; the greater the level gap, the higher the chance of failure. This skill has a cooldown of thirty minutes.】

Wang Chen’s eyes lit up. Wasn't this the very skill the Deep Pool Toad had used to escape his Rock Hand earlier? This was practically a minor divine skill. Although it had a level restriction, that simply meant it would work unconditionally against targets of an equal or lower level. It meant he would be nearly impossible to pin down with crowd control by anyone his own age, given how far his level surpassed theirs.

He also keenly realized that he could combine this with "Leaf Obscuring Eyes" to exploit a loophole. The skill description mentioned teleporting to any location within line of sight, and his "secondary vision" counted as sight. This meant his maximum teleportation range would be effectively extended to the maximum range of his linked vision.

Satisfied, he stored the skill book in his storage ring and turned his attention to the equipment.

【Toad Wine Gourd (Platinum Grade)】
【Category: Tool】
【Level Requirement: 17】
【Effect: Increases Agility and Constitution by 230 points when equipped.】
【Durability: 270/270】
【Additional Skill: Can trap beasts below Platinum grade directly into the gourd and refine them into wine. Consuming wine refined from different beasts provides various buffs, though there is a chance for debuffs.】
【Please note: Do not refine multiple types of beasts simultaneously, as this may lead to unexpected results. Furthermore, there is a risk of the gourd exploding if used to refine Platinum-grade or higher beasts. Refinement time depends on the level of the beast.】

Wang Chen stared at the description, completely dumbfounded. "Isn't this the Purple Gold Red Gourd of the Silver-Horned King? It can't suck people in just by calling their names? Zero stars, trash!"

Jokes aside, Wang Chen was incredibly excited. Setting aside the ability to capture sub-Platinum beasts, the fact that he could refine them into wine meant that if he used it correctly, he might never need to spend money on potions again. He could carry this gourd with him and show everyone what a top-tier support player really looked like.

He held the bright black gourd—which matched the color of the Toad’s skin—admiring it for a long while before tucking it into his storage ring.

"I’ll have plenty of time to play with this later; my priority is leveling up." With his newfound confidence, there were likely few beasts in the Old Smoker’s Jungle that could challenge him. Now was the perfect time for bold grinding.

Moreover, Wang Chen felt a faint sense of unease regarding the warning the Blood Shadow had given him about those who were hunting it. It would be best to reach level 30 as quickly as possible and leave the Old Smoker’s Jungle.

With this in mind, Wang Chen flicked his fingers and the Forest Storm appeared in his hand. He gave his staff a light wave. "Five-Mile Fog!"

White mist instantly spewed from the tip of the staff, spreading out around him and shrouding his figure in a hazy veil. He began walking along the sandbar toward the mainland.

The White Grim Reaper had descended upon the jungle once more.

...

Several figures moved through the jungle. They were clad in black cloaks, each embroidered with a rotting eye on the back. Neither the undergrowth snagging their robes nor the roots littering the ground could hinder their progress. They moved with great speed, gliding almost as if they were hovering just above the earth.

After traveling in silence for some time, one of them suddenly spoke. He wore a mask over his face. "Tell me, don't you find this strange?"

"What is it?" the person at the head of the group asked without looking back.

"We haven't encountered a single beast on this path," the masked man said. "It’s been nearly half an hour since we left the teleportation circle, hasn't it? We haven't run into a single one."