Chapter 35: Eliminating the Mist Specter, Substantial Gains

The Mist Phantom possessed a peculiar ability. The freezing mist it released served not only to conceal its tracks and obscure vision, but also allowed the entity to rapidly coalesce wherever the mist existed.

In other words, it could teleport and hide anywhere within the area shrouded by its fog.

However, after Lin Yi’s Ghost Stone ability was upgraded, it functioned like a radar for supernatural entities, rendering the Mist Phantom’s stealth useless.

Gu Cheng-Hu pondered for a moment and said, "To destroy this thing completely, we must lure out its true form. I will make the first move; you all wait for an opportunity to strike!"

With that, Gu Cheng-Hu drew his Dragon-Roar Blade and stepped out of the tent.

The moment he emerged, he was attacked. A massive hand formed from white mist descended upon him from above.

"Bold!"

Having anticipated this, Gu Cheng-Hu did not hesitate. He raised his Dragon-Roar Blade and unleashed a strike. The golden arc of the blade sliced half of the misty hand in two.

Just as Gu Cheng-Hu breathed a sigh of relief, the white mist throughout the entire campsite began to converge, coalescing into various spectral creatures. These included Terror-Boars, Ghost-Fiends, Heart-Eater Wolves, and others—a multitude of monsters commonly found around Gutan Village.

"So, it really is a spirit from near our Gutan Village, capable of simulating such lifelike monsters. Too bad they are all hollow shells." Gu Cheng-Hu let out a cold laugh, raised his blade, and charged into the misty horde, slaughtering them with the Blazing Sun Blade Technique.

Meanwhile, Lin Yi remained inside the tent, using the Ghost Stone to monitor the situation.

Gu Lao-Si asked, "How is it?"

Lin Yi shook his head. "The main body of the Mist Phantom hasn't appeared yet. It’s still hovering above our tent. However, I can sense that it has dispersed much of its power to create these decoys, which has weakened its core."

Gu Lao-Si turned and commanded, "A-Le, Xiao-Ba, go out and help clear the decoys. It seems this Mist Phantom won't reveal itself until it has exhausted all its little tricks."

Indeed, the Mist Phantom was circling above the tent like a flowing cloud of fog, just as Lin Yi had described. Due to the Spirit-Fire Candle, it could not probe inside the tent. Yet, it knew that the "ants" who had wounded it earlier were hiding within. It dared not show itself, having realized that these human ants possessed the means to kill it.

After two or three minutes, the misty monsters were slaughtered by Gu Cheng-Hu and his two companions. However, as a cold breeze swept through, the surrounding mist began to coalesce into new creatures.

Gu Cheng-Hu frowned and shouted toward the tent, "This won't do! Within this mist, these monsters are endless. Gu Lao-Si, find another way!"

Gu Lao-Si furrowed his brows. He had intended to exhaust the power of the Mist Phantom’s decoys before luring out its main body, but it appeared the decoys were nearly inexhaustible. Even if they managed to kill them all, they would be utterly drained.

Lin Yi suggested, "Captain, why not try the Spirit-Binding Talisman? Perhaps it will work on the floating Mist Phantom."

Although the Spirit-Binding Talisman was a semi-professional grade talisman that Gu Lao-Si had restored from ancient texts, he had only used it a few times against minor spirits. He was unsure if it would directly affect the incorporeal Mist Phantom, especially one of semi-professional rank. That was why he had warned them not to use it until the main body was found.

Unexpectedly, Gu Lao-Si’s train of thought leaped elsewhere. He asked with sudden confusion, "Hey, Qingshan, did you just call me Captain?"

"Ah?"

Lin Yi felt a vein throb on his forehead; it had been a slip of the tongue. Among the four militia captains, he usually added their names as prefixes to distinguish them from Gu Cheng-Hu. It was simply how the militia members addressed them.

"Not bad, not bad. You should call me that from now on; it sounds pleasing to my ears."

Ignoring the bewildered Lin Yi, Gu Lao-Si began rummaging through his treasure chest. Lin Yi saw him pull out another talisman, this one made of a crimson material. It gave Lin Yi a bad feeling; a sense of violent, bloodthirsty energy surged from it, as if a malicious spirit were trapped inside.

"Uh... Old... Captain, what kind of talisman is this?"

"It is also a semi-professional grade talisman, but it was crafted by the Village Elder himself. It is immensely powerful." Gu Lao-Si didn't want to explain too much, but after glancing at Lin Yi, he added, "This talisman seals the faint aura of a professional-grade spirit. Once activated, the white mist surrounding us will dissipate on its own. It exploits the fact that low-level ghost domains cannot contain higher-level spirits. This is why it's called the Domain-Breaking Talisman—a treasure passed down in Gutan Village for generations."

Lin Yi asked in surprise, "If it's so powerful, why didn't you use it sooner?"

Gu Lao-Si explained, "This talisman requires a professional-grade spirit as a material; they are extremely rare. I only have one. If not for the chance to eliminate this Mist Phantom now, I wouldn't have brought it out."

"Enough talk. Once the mist is broken, you must coordinate with Gu Cheng-Hu and the others to strike the Mist Phantom down immediately."

With that, Gu Lao-Si crushed the talisman. Instantly, a massive plume of ink-black energy poured out. Lin Yi, standing too close, accidentally inhaled a wisp of it and felt a surge of violent rage flood his heart.

Fortunately, Gu Lao-Si pulled him back and slapped him to wake him up.

"The spirit sealed inside is the Wrathful Ghost, one of the Seven Divine Spirits. If you inhale too much, you'll become a fool."

Lin Yi glared at Gu Lao-Si with resentment. This guy seemed to have done it on purpose just to see him make a fool of himself, and then slapped him for good measure. *Fine! You won't be getting that half-jin of ash from me!*

As a higher-level spirit appeared within the Mist Phantom’s semi-ghost domain, the Mist Phantom sensed the aura and reacted as if facing a mortal threat. The white fog that had blanketed the camp scattered violently.

Gu Cheng-Hu and the others noticed the change and immediately realized it was Gu Lao-Si’s handiwork.

"The fog domain is breaking! Don't let the Mist Phantom escape!"

Lin Yi, holding his Silver-Bloom Longblade, stepped out of the tent, noticing that the Mist Phantom above was trying to flee.

"Captain! The Mist Phantom is in the fog ten meters ahead of you! It’s trying to run!"

"Understood!" Gu Cheng-Hu responded. He lunged forward, his Dragon-Roar Blade glowing with golden flames, and delivered a powerful strike.

"Aaaah!"

Within the thinning mist, the Mist Phantom was struck squarely. Its body, composed of fog, was split in two before desperately trying to merge back together. Visibly, the entity had shrunk significantly. Gu Cheng-Hu’s Blazing Sun strike had caused considerable damage.

"You've trapped us for so long—don't think you're getting away!"

Gu Cheng-Hu threw his Spirit-Binding Talisman. It transformed into a beam of white light, pinning the Mist Phantom in place. Gu A-Le and Gu Xiao-Ba seized the chance to move in for the kill.

In less than five seconds, the Mist Phantom, which had been the size of a small house, was hacked into several clumps. When it coalesced again, it had lost a third of its volume.

By now, the surrounding mist had completely vanished. Under the night sky, the Mist Phantom’s body was starkly visible; Lin Yi no longer needed to point out its location.

Sensing its life was at stake, the Mist Phantom struggled frantically to break free. As the energy of the first Spirit-Binding Talisman faded, Gu A-Le threw a second one. Gu Cheng-Hu and the others resumed their assault.

Lin Yi joined in, landing two strikes of his own. Since the entity was now helpless, he was determined to seize the moment and land the final blow to maximize his rewards.

After the third Spirit-Binding Talisman was used, the pinned Mist Phantom was only the size of a basketball, its aura weak and devoid of any remaining offensive capability.

Gu Cheng-Hu sheathed his blade and said, "Qingshan, it's yours!"

"Understood, Captain."

Lin Yi channeled his remaining thirty-plus points of Vitality into the Blazing Sun Blade Technique. The strike flared like a vast sun, illuminating a four-to-five-meter radius. Amidst the scorching blade-light, the Mist Phantom shrieked and dissipated into thin mist.

"Ding! You have killed a semi-professional Mist Phantom. You gained 150 experience points!"

After the Mist Phantom vanished, it dropped a large amount of spirit ash, along with two glowing items: a stone shimmering with white light and one with black light.

[Death-Spirit Stone (White)]: Contains massive amounts of death energy. For the living, contact results in illness or death; for spirits, it is a potent restorative.

[Mist Phantom Spirit Stone (Green)]: A core item dropped by a semi-professional grade spirit. Has many wonderful uses; highly valuable.

Lin Yi picked up the black [Death-Spirit Stone] first, read the description, and immediately tossed it to Gu Lao-Si with a look of disdain.

Just as Lin Yi picked up the [Mist Phantom Spirit Stone] to examine it, he suddenly vanished from the spot. His online time had expired, and he was forcibly logged out of the Apocalypse world.

The others were left staring at each other. Gu Lao-Si bared his teeth, looking like a hound robbed of its meal, and growled, "Damn it, did that kid run off with our loot?"

Indeed, not only had Lin Yi taken the [Mist Phantom Spirit Stone], but he had also swiped one of the [Spirit-Binding Talismans] on his way out.