The Curtain Falls

When Ye Chuan stepped out of the cave, his eyes were met with mountains of spirit essences piled on the ground. Outside, the Blood Wolf Demon was slaughtering the wandering spirits that roamed the area, while Tian Xiaotian and Susu huddled fearfully in a corner.

"Big Bro!!!" Tian Xiaotian's excited shout pierced the air the moment she spotted Ye Chuan. The mushroom girl's bright eyes sparkled with joy, and her cheeks, pale from tension earlier, now flushed with excitement.

Ye Chuan's gaze swept across the scene outside the cave, noticing the endless tide of spirits surging toward them. A hint of surprise flickered across his face. "Hmm? Why are there so many spirits all of a sudden?"

The Blood Wolf Demon was practically farming materials on autopilot here.

Not that the spirits stood a chance against it—after all, the Blood Wolf Demon was one of Ye Chuan's divine avatars, immune to magic.

Tian Xiaotian quickly explained, "There was an earthquake earlier, and these things just started pouring out from underground!"

Ye Chuan understood. The violent energy waves from his battle with the Rider of the End must have disturbed the dormant spirits, drawing them here.

Luckily, he had left the Blood Wolf Demon outside to guard Tian Xiaotian and Susu, ensuring their safety.

"Time to come back." With a casual wave of his hand, the Blood Wolf Demon dissolved into a shadow and merged back into his body.

Lifting his eyes slightly, Ye Chuan observed the dark swarm of spirits and the grotesque skeletal monsters closing in. A faint smirk curled at the corner of his lips as he murmured, "Bring it on."

In an instant, the space beside him rippled unnaturally, and an inky darkness—pure chaotic energy—spread outward.

"Blade—come forth."

As Ye Chuan's voice rang out, a colossal armored arm, black as the void, slowly emerged from the abyss.

The arm exuded a suffocating pressure, like the hand of death itself reaching from the endless depths. It gripped a massive sword, dozens of meters long, its edge gleaming ominously.

"Cleave."

The sword descended like a collapsing skyscraper, tearing through the air with sheer force.

"BOOM!"

The spirits caught in its path were obliterated instantly, fragile as paper, dissolving into motes of light that vanished into nothingness.

The strike carved a clean void through the horde, leaving the ground spotless—as if the spirits had never existed.

Tian Xiaotian and Susu stood dumbfounded behind Ye Chuan, staring at the colossal blade.

"So... big!" Tian Xiaotian muttered.

Even if they ran thirty meters ahead of time, they wouldn’t escape that.

"Not bad." Ye Chuan nodded slightly, satisfaction flashing in his eyes.

Merely summoning the Rider of the End’s arm and weapon yielded such devastating power—far surpassing any technique he currently possessed.

Pure numbers, pure dominance.

Without pause, he swung the massive sword again and again.

Each slash was accompanied by the howl of wind and the shrieks of spirits. The grotesque ghosts stood no chance, annihilated in an instant.

Within moments, the once-swarming horde was gone. The ground lay barren, as if freshly harvested—not a single trace remained.

Ye Chuan collected all the spirit essences before turning to Tian Xiaotian.

"Little Melon, how’s the quest going?"

Hearing him call her "Little Melon," Tian Xiaotian scratched her head, her round mushroom cap wobbling slightly. She didn’t protest the nickname but sighed dejectedly. "Not done yet."

So, the knight wasn’t part of their quest—Ye Chuan had just stumbled into it by accident.

The massive stone gate, the mysterious throne, the scattered bones of beasts—this wasn’t the treasure they were looking for. But Ye Chuan didn’t dwell on it. His spiritual sense expanded like an invisible force, scanning the surroundings.

Might as well keep searching.

Soon, he detected a smaller cave at the foot of a distant mountain.

His senses probed inside, revealing a lone treasure chest resting quietly within.

"Oh?" Ye Chuan led Tian Xiaotian and Susu into the cave. As he opened the chest, a faint, earthy aroma of mushrooms wafted out—inside were piles upon piles of various fungi.

Just… mushrooms?

But why would a chest full of mushrooms be placed here?

"Ah… quest complete!" Tian Xiaotian’s eyes lit up with joy as she stared at the mushrooms. "Big Bro, I think I can go back now!"

To her delight, not only had she scored an S-rank rating, but the sheer number of spirits Ye Chuan had slain was converted into bonus points for her.

Tian Xiaotian gaped at the staggering number flashing on her system screen. "Holy… I think I just got rich."

Turns out, this hidden quest rewarded additional points based on the number of spirits killed during the mushroom hunt.

Ye Chuan had slaughtered so many along the way that Tian Xiaotian and Susu had unwittingly struck gold.

"S-so many points…" Susu stammered, equally stunned.

Talk about a carry. They’d basically won the lottery.

"Rich now?" Ye Chuan didn’t feel much about it—after all, he wasn’t a player and had no quest or point system.

For him, gaining the Rider of the End as an ally was reward enough, not to mention the backpack now brimming with spirit essences.

This much would definitely be enough to… fully replenish Lilith.

Just then, Tian Xiaotian noticed a countdown timer ticking. She tugged Ye Chuan’s sleeve, her eyes brimming with gratitude and reluctance.

"Big Bro, the timer’s up! I have to go now! Thank you so, so much! When I get back, I’m buying stacks of gold bars! I really hope we meet again! Big Bro!!"

Her gratitude was genuine. When the spirits had swarmed them, Ye Chuan’s presence had been like sunlight, banishing all despair.

Susu stepped forward too, bowing deeply. "Thank you, Big Bro. With these points, I won’t have to worry about anything for a long time."

Ye Chuan smiled and patted Tian Xiaotian’s mushroom head. "Mm. See you. Don’t forget the gold bars."

"Mm!"

The moment she responded, Tian Xiaotian transformed into a radiant beam of light, fading away within its glow.

Silence returned. Only Ye Chuan remained, standing alone in the dark valley.

"Phew… quite the adventure," he muttered to himself.

Glancing at his phone, he stretched lazily.

"Time to head back."

Let’s go.