Chapter 80: Giant Ghoul? Kill!

The Wave Dragon struck the ghoul’s jaw, most of its body burrowing into the ghoul’s wide-open mouth, piercing straight through the back of its skull. In the ghoul’s ashen eyes, the hunger for rotting flesh still lingered, but its body collapsed uncontrollably, falling into the web of spider silk.

“This ghoul is really too greedy—trapped in the web and still thinking about eating?” Lin Lehan remarked.

“That proves eating leftovers really does damage the brain,” Wang Chen laughed. “Their low intelligence works to our advantage.”

He handed a long rod to Lin Lehan, instructing her to mimic his method: lure the ghoul into opening its mouth, then follow up with another Water Dragon Strike.

Using this technique, one ghoul after another perished, their desire for food leading them to their deaths. In just five or six minutes, they had slain more ghouls than Lin Lehan had managed alone in half a day.

For a moment, the sound of experience notifications chimed incessantly in Wang Chen’s ears.

After slaughtering all the ghouls, he estimated his level would soon jump by several ranks. He’d been in the Platinum Secret Realm for less than a day, and he was already heading toward his third advancement. If anyone else knew how quickly he was leveling up, their jaws would drop in disbelief.

But fortune rarely comes without obstacles, as if fate deemed Wang Chen’s path too smooth and decided to throw some difficulty his way.

Suddenly, a violent tremor shook the battlefield.

Both Wang Chen and Lin Lehan were startled; Lin Lehan anxiously scanned her surroundings.

They soon found the source of the tremors—it came from the direction of the giant ghoul.

“Is it breaking free?” Lin Lehan asked.

Wang Chen frowned. “It shouldn’t be. With so many skills layered together for suppression, it hasn’t been that long. How can it rise already?”

Suddenly, a thought struck him. He looked toward the ordinary ghouls in the spider silk.

Each one’s blood surged, their ashen eyes glinting crimson. They threw their heads back and roared, as if engulfed in raging fury.

Their strength was suddenly amplified, allowing them to tear free from the webs that had previously bound them tightly.

Some ghouls, so thoroughly entangled, simply tore off their own arms in their violent struggle, heedless of the blood pouring from their wounds, and charged toward Wang Chen and Lin Lehan.

“The giant ghoul isn’t breaking free—it’s casting a skill!” Wang Chen told Lin Lehan. “This tremor is its battle roar. Because it’s pinned to the ground, the sound waves have become a vibration transmitted through the earth.”

“Now the ordinary ghouls have all gone berserk!” Wang Chen continued, withdrawing his long rod. At this point, the rotting flesh was no longer much of a lure for ghouls hell-bent on tearing them apart.

He freed up his hands, wielding Forest Gale, unleashing one Wave Dragon Strike after another.

He bombarded the approaching ghouls, but the strikes only made them stagger. Even with critical hits, the best he could do was sever their limbs; the killing power was no longer as potent as before when he could pick them off one by one.

“What do we do?” Wang Chen’s mind raced for a solution.

Lin Lehan, seeing his distress, thoughtfully refrained from asking further—she knew more questions would only increase his mental burden.

Instead, she quietly shielded Wang Chen, dealing with the ghouls crawling out of the spider silk, confronting and slaying them one by one.

Wang Chen racked his brains, but found no instant way to repel the enemy.

“No choice—we’ll have to fight head-on.” Wang Chen gritted his teeth and said to Lin Lehan, “Let’s head for the giant ghoul!”

With that, he turned and ran, Lin Lehan following close behind.

As they neared the giant ghoul, Wang Chen wielded Forest Gale, manipulating two Stone Hands to squeeze the giant ghoul’s neck with all his might.

“There’s no time to worry if the Stone Hands will shatter—just make it shut up first!” Wang Chen thought.

The two Stone Hands tightened, fingers interlocking, their surfaces beginning to crack inch by inch.

At first, the fissures were fine and shallow, then they connected and widened, threatening to shatter at any moment.

Yet the giant ghoul’s battle roar didn’t cease; its back muscles tensed, straining against the Stone Hands.

“What now? Should I add another Stone Hand? But the giant ghoul’s neck is already encircled—there’s no room, it wouldn’t make much difference,” Wang Chen mused.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him. He urgently said to Lin Lehan, “Hold off the ordinary ghouls for five minutes for me—can you manage that?”

Lin Lehan was momentarily stunned. She glanced toward the spider silk, seeing several ghouls already freed, staggering toward them—four or five by her quick count.

She gritted her teeth and nodded. “I’ll try.”

“Good, I’m counting on you!” Wang Chen sprinted toward the giant ghoul, relaxing the constriction of the Stone Hands.

Lin Lehan turned back to intercept the approaching ghouls, using her agile movements to keep them occupied.

Wang Chen rushed to the giant ghoul’s side, leaped onto its back.

As he crossed its waist, scorched and carved by Flame Wave, the ghoul’s muscles quivered in pain.

Despite the shaking, Wang Chen struggled to steady himself, stepping carefully toward the creature’s neck.

When he reached the upper back, he paused, swung Forest Gale, and fired a point of light.

The light embedded itself in the giant ogre’s skull, then returned to connect with the staff’s tip, forming a shimmering strand.

“Come on, big guy! Let me show you the guillotine!” Wang Chen hauled Forest Gale back like a laborer, yanking the strand with all his might.

The giant ghoul’s head was slowly pulled up by the strand, while its neck, still gripped by the Stone Hands, was subjected to two opposing forces.

Wang Chen hoped this torque would snap the giant ghoul’s neck.

Sensing the pain, the giant ogre thrashed and swung its arms, trying to swat Wang Chen away.

But its bulk and flabby flesh made it difficult; after several attempts, it only struck its own shoulder blades.

Yet, faced with mortal danger, the giant ghoul summoned its last reserves, sacrificing joint integrity to desperately slap at Wang Chen.

Though only hit by a fingertip, the force was formidable; Wang Chen’s body lurched violently, but this time he was wise enough to roll and absorb the impact.

The Life Tree armor at the point of contact redirected the sudden deformation throughout his body, neutralizing the attack.

He scrambled up and resumed pulling the strand.

The cracks in the Stone Hands deepened, on the verge of shattering.

But luck favored Wang Chen this time—a crisp snap echoed just before the Stone Hands collapsed.

He felt a sudden release in his shoulders; the immense force pulling him loosened.

Then, notification sounds chimed like celestial music.