Fateful Encounter

"Huh? That's it?"

Another flaming meteor streaked down from the sky, exploding into a massive crater as waves of fire radiated outward, incinerating every wandering spirit in the vicinity until none remained.

Ye Chuan glanced around—this section of the valley seemed completely cleared of spirits.

Tendrils of smoke still curled from the scorched earth where the meteor had struck. The edges of the crater, seared by extreme heat, bore no trace of lingering ghostly remnants—only floating spirit essences remained.

Standing atop his flying sword, Ye Chuan pulled out his phone and checked his inventory, now brimming with collected essences.

"Not bad. Lilith should be pleased, right?"

He couldn’t help but anticipate the rewards she might give him.

Something good—

Like an apocalypse-tier spell?

If he got his hands on one, he’d definitely test its power at the Qingyun Sect.

The brothers at Flying Sword Peak would be in for a treat.

"Alright, time to move on."

With no more ghosts spawning here, Ye Chuan was about to scout other parts of the valley when his spiritual sense suddenly detected a massive wave of spirits and skeleton monsters rushing toward him.

Oh?

A respawn?

Casually conjuring a fireball, he let it expand until it reached two meters in diameter before hurling it toward the incoming horde—

Before the fireball could land, a shrill scream pierced the air, sounding almost like a desperate wail.

"Big bro!!!"

Hm?

That voice… sounded familiar.

Ye Chuan raised an eyebrow.

——

On the other side, Tian Xiaotian and her team were being chased by a relentless swarm of spirits. Their four-member squad could handle three or four spirits at a time, but against hundreds of them—along with skeleton monsters—their only option was to run.

The spirits shrieked madly, pursuing the team as if driven by some deep-seated rage.

"This way!" The team leader’s voice cracked as he brandished his chipped weapon, green blood—leftover from hacking at skeletons—dripping from the blade.

The skeletons were unnaturally tough, and the spirits were nearly immune to physical attacks. Together, they were a nightmare.

Stumbling as they fled, the team watched in horror as even more spirits emerged from all directions, surging like an agitated swarm of ants.

"We didn’t even make a sound! Why are there so many?!" A gaunt man yanked at his collar, revealing a gruesome claw mark on his neck—already blackening and festering from the spirit’s corruptive touch.

The worst part about spirits was their ability to taint wounds with ghostly energy. Without specialized medicine, the corruption was incurable.

"Who knows?! After that tremor earlier, these things went berserk! Staying quiet doesn’t matter now!" A woman nocked her last arrow, her hands shaking so badly she couldn’t even aim. Her voice trembled with panic.

"I can’t believe this! We were just on a gathering mission, and now we’re gonna die here!"

"Shut up!"

Tian Xiaotian clutched her weapon tightly as she sprinted. After surviving several dungeons, her physique was far beyond what it used to be—but even so, four people stood no chance against a thousand spirits.

We’re dead!

We’re so dead!!!

She’d been on the brink of death before, but never had she felt this level of despair.

The valley teemed with spirits closing in from all sides. Even if they escaped, failing the mission meant they’d likely never leave this place alive.

The thought filled her with overwhelming dread.

"Oh no—that’s the BOSS!" someone suddenly shouted.

The group looked up to see a figure hovering midair on a flying sword, surveying the surroundings with an air of absolute dominance.

Encased in a faint golden barrier, the figure radiated an aura so potent that ghostly energy dissipated in his presence.

"Wait…" Tian Xiaotian blinked. From this distance, that BOSS looked…

"No wonder there were fewer spirits this way—we wandered into his territory!" The team leader broke out in goosebumps the moment he saw Ye Chuan. Just one glance at that distant figure sapped all his courage to approach.

In desperation, he yanked out a shimmering golden-edged card, its glowing runes stark against the darkness.

"Screw this, I’m not dying here!"

"Rare item—Teleport Card!"

"You had that?!" The gaunt man lunged for it, but the leader’s burly frame dissolved into particles before he could grab it.

"You bastard!" The gaunt man roared in fury as the leader abandoned them.

Now even their guide was gone. They were truly doomed.

"I refuse to die like this!!!" The woman fired arrow after arrow into the horde, but for every spirit she took down, seven more surged forward.

"Don’t move! The BOSS noticed us!" The gaunt man’s voice turned shrill as he realized the hovering figure had locked onto them—and was now gathering a massive fireball in his hand.

Oh no!!

The fireball hurtled toward them, its flames rippling with apocalyptic force.

"B-Big bro!!!"

Tian Xiaotian suddenly screamed at the top of her lungs, "G-gold bars!"

The figure in the sky paused, as if puzzled—then vanished.

"We’re dead…" The gaunt man and woman braced for impact, barely registering Tian Xiaotian’s shout.

But in the next instant, the figure materialized right in front of them.

"The BOSS?!" the gaunt man gasped.

With a mere flick of his hand, the terrifying fireball shattered like fragile glass, scattering into harmless embers.

A crisp chime rang out as the immortal sword at his side shot forward, its blade unleashing a torrent of sword energy like a cascading galaxy. Spirits wailed as they dissolved into black mist, while skeleton bones crumbled into dust before even hitting the ground.

The valley fell silent. No more monsters—just floating spirit essences.

The figure turned slowly, his gaze settling on Tian Xiaotian.

"Oh?"

"Th-they’re… all gone?" The gaunt man and the others gaped in disbelief.

So strong…

"Big bro!!! It really is you!" Tian Xiaotian scrambled forward on her hands and knees before latching onto Ye Chuan’s leg, bawling like a child with snot bubbles forming.

"Waaah, waaah!"

Ye Chuan looked down at the sniveling girl with mild disgust. Did she have no shame?

Still… what were the odds?