The Lone Star of Celestial Misfortune

"Stay with us, Xiaotian."

"It's so cold..."

"Aren't we partners for life?"

"Hehehe..."

As soon as Zhang Ya's voice faded, the teammates standing behind her simultaneously let out strange, guttural cackles. The dark flesh beneath their skin squirmed violently, instantly bursting through their clothes and transforming into hideous tentacles resembling gnarled tree branches.

These tentacles seemed to possess a life of their own, spreading rapidly toward Tian Xiaotian. A thick, fishy stench permeated the air, and the transparent mucus secreted by the tentacles dripped onto the ground, corroding the floor into small pits that hissed with white smoke.

"Damn it!" Tian Xiaotian retreated abruptly, the Spirit Sword in her hand surging with azure light as she severed the tentacles attacking from the front with a single slash.

Perhaps it was because she had been by the Boss's side this whole time, causing her vigilance to drop. Now faced with such a situation, she found herself completely unprepared.

These damned monstrosities... they actually waited until the Boss left before revealing their true colors!

Hum—

Tian Xiaotian circulated her Azure Cloud Technique, unleashing consecutive waves of sword energy to shred the tentacles.

"So strong!"

Having received a casual buff from the Boss earlier, Tian Xiaotian realized her strength had increased dramatically.

However, black slurry immediately gushed from the severed stumps of the tentacles, instantly condensing into two new tentacles that moved even faster than before.

"Why run, Xiaotian?" Zhang Ya tilted her neck, her head rotating a full hundred and eighty degrees at an angle that defied all logic. Her pupils had turned into vertical slits, glowing with a crimson light. "We just want you to stay and keep us company forever..."

The other teammates also closed in on Tian Xiaotian, their bodies twisting and deforming—some arms turned into thick tentacles, some legs melted into sludge, and others grew tumors on their heads that split open into countless tiny mouths, emitting the sounds of subtle chewing.

These grotesque forms were different from the infected plague carriers in Plague Town.

Tian Xiaotian waved her sword to parry, the blade light creating afterimages around her. But there were too many monstrosities. Tentacles attacked from all directions, and her arm was soon wrapped up by one. The viscous mucus instantly soaked through her clothes, sending a piercing numbness through her limb.

"Damn it!" She gritted her teeth and channeled her spiritual power, trying to shatter the tentacle. But it only constricted tighter, even beginning to drain the spiritual power from her body.

"Ah!!!!!!"

Zhang Ya walked slowly toward her, the corners of her mouth splitting open to the extreme, revealing two rows of sharp, jagged teeth.

"Give up, Xiaotian. You can't escape..."

"It's a pity my power isn't strong enough yet... otherwise, I would have swallowed that guy too... I wouldn't have let him leave..."

Just as Tian Xiaotian's face turned pale and she was on the verge of collapse, a familiar, icy voice suddenly rang out from behind her.

"If I wish to leave, the path lies beneath my feet."

Tian Xiaotian whipped her head around. Ye Chuan had appeared at the entrance of the return channel, unbeknownst to anyone. His body was wreathed in faint chaotic energy, and his pitch-black eyes held no warmth whatsoever.

The monstrosities seemed equally shocked by his return, their movements freezing instantly.

"Boss! You didn't leave?!" Tian Xiaotian was both shocked and overjoyed. For some reason, strength surged through her body again, and she severed the tentacle wrapped around her arm with one strike.

Ye Chuan walked forward slowly, his gaze sweeping over the twisted monstrosities. The corners of his mouth curled into a cold sneer.

"I could tell at a glance that you weren't human."

"I just wanted to see what kind of tricks you would play."

It turned out he had sensed something was wrong long ago—if her real teammates had survived, they wouldn't carry the residual eerie aura of Plague Town. He had deliberately walked into the return channel earlier just to see what these things were planning.

"You... How could you possibly come back?!" Zhang Ya's voice turned shrill, the tentacles around her body writhing madly. "Once the return channel is opened, the entrant is teleported away immediately!"

"Channel?" Ye Chuan raised his hand, pointing a finger that pierced through the tentacles on Zhang Ya's body. "I'm not a player of this Weird World."

A beam of light shot out instantly, striking Zhang Ya's body with precision.

With a boom, Zhang Ya's body exploded, turning into a cloud of black miasma. But before the miasma could reform, it was completely devoured by the chaotic energy surrounding Ye Chuan.

Seeing this, the other monstrosities roared and pounced together, only to be instantly shattered by the eruption of Ye Chuan's energy pressure. They didn't even get a chance to regenerate.

In just a few seconds, all the monstrosities were completely annihilated, leaving only a few puddles of black slime on the ground, which were soon swallowed into nothingness by the chaotic energy.

Tian Xiaotian let out a sigh of relief and slumped to the ground. Looking at Ye Chuan's back, her eyes grew slightly red. "Boss, thank you... you saved me again."

Ye Chuan glanced back at her. "It was effortless. These should be the last remnants of Plague Town. Now, it's truly resolved."

He walked over to Tian Xiaotian and extended his hand. "Let's go."

"Are you really leaving this time, Boss?"

Tian Xiaotian took his hand and stood up.

"Why? You don't want me to leave?" Ye Chuan asked with a faint smile.

Looking at Ye Chuan, who possessed the appearance of a young child, Tian Xiaotian felt her heart racing for some unknown reason. She pushed aside her wandering thoughts but nodded honestly.

"The Death Train dungeon still has another station," Ye Chuan said. "I have to continue down the line."

For Ye Chuan, the Death Train dungeon wasn't over yet, though Tian Xiaotian was free to return.

"I'll go with you, Boss!"

"You? With me?" Ye Chuan glanced at Tian Xiaotian.

"I..." Tian Xiaotian realized she probably wouldn't be of any help to Ye Chuan. She fell silent. "I... don't have the power..."

"I'm already... all alone," Tian Xiaotian said dejectedly. Zhang Ya's death had undoubtedly dealt her a massive blow.

"..." Ye Chuan paused, then took a glowing orb out of his backpack.

[Item: Physique - Heavenly Bane Star (Gold)]

[Fate carries a curse; brings bane to kin and friends; destined for a life of solitude.]

[However, possesses the karmic fortune to turn calamity into blessing. Can absorb the misfortune of others to strengthen oneself.]

"This is..." Tian Xiaotian looked up as the orb was handed to her.

"This is a special physique called the Heavenly Bane Star," Ye Chuan said. "In this weird world, one is destined to walk the path alone. This..."

"This might help you."

"Thank you, Boss..." Tian Xiaotian accepted the orb. She knew that anything Ye Chuan gave away was definitely a treasure.

Heavenly Bane Star...

She understood the implication behind the name.

Seeing Tian Xiaotian's dejected look, Ye Chuan momentarily saw the image of the little girl she once was—that scaredy-cat of the past. Was the current Tian Xiaotian going to walk this path alone?

After a few seconds of silence, Ye Chuan took out several cultivation technique manuals and stuffed them into Tian Xiaotian's arms. "Next time we meet, make sure you're standing tall before me."

Tian Xiaotian stared blankly at the manuals in her arms. Before she could say anything, she felt a gentle breeze push her lightly.

Her body was lifted into the air, landing squarely in the return channel not far away. She hurriedly shouted,

"B-Boss..."

"Boss, I will get stronger!"

"Absolutely, absolutely!"