Chapter 1053 - 436: Farewell, An Rong

Chapter 1053: Chapter 436: Farewell, An Rong

Wu Chang looked at the shattered jade pendant in his hand, and the scene before him flashed back, reminding him of the final moments of the Peaceful Year Dungeon.

At that time, Chi Yuan, who was severely injured and on the brink of death, fused the two halves of the Demon Transformation Mask into one, creating the B-Level growth item, the Shadow-Facing Face, using it to trade for a favor from Wu Chang.

What Chi Yuan gave him was not just a B-Level growth item, but also a great opportunity.

Recalling that day, the words Chi Yuan spoke echoed in his mind.

Chi Yuan claimed that his innate talent was lacking, his physical vitality weak, and having fallen into the path of evil, his spiritual path was damaged, making it unlikely for him to achieve great success through conventional cultivation in his lifetime.

So he devised a solution, which was to use the Demon Transformation Technique, plunder all living beings, and recreate a perfect True Self, using this True Self to achieve greatness.

That True Self is precisely the one Wu Chang frequently uses now.

The True Self is not only an extremely powerful clone but also carries the potential to achieve greatness. Among the many items Wu Chang owns, if he were to choose the most precious one, he would undoubtedly select the Shadow-Facing Face.

Even the All-Knowing Crystal, suspected to be the key to the fourth level, and the Mortal Poison capable of extracting divine authority, do not hold as much importance to him as the Shadow-Facing Face.

The significance of the True Self is immense, let alone without the basic Shadow-Facing Face, he would not have been able to completely save Erin nor have the Saint’s Legacy Mask he possesses today.

Chi Yuan asked for only one favor in return for the Shadow-Facing Face, and that was to take care of the sole orphan in Huai Valley Village, An Rong, who was regarded as a fool by the bandits occupying Huai Valley Village.

As an Abyssal Game Player, Wu Chang could not take An Rong away, so Chi Yuan resorted to handing this jade pendant to Wu Chang, stating that once the pendant shattered, it indicated An Rong was in danger, prompting Wu Chang to save An Rong at least once.

Wu Chang has always been clear about his debts and doesn’t like owing others.

The favor Chi Yuan did for him by giving the Shadow-Facing Face was too great, even using World Dungeons as a bargaining chip could not repay it.

If the pendant had shattered before he entered the World Dungeon, that would have been one thing, but now that he’s already inside the World Dungeon, An Rong is under his protection, and Ye Ge can’t touch him, he declared!

Wu Chang held the jade pendant tightly, sensing the aura within it.

Since Chi Yuan could use the pendant as a warning, there must be some connection between it and An Rong. Relying on his strong inspiration, he indeed detected a faint bond tracing back from the pendant.

The aura pointed to by the pendant was nearby, moving swiftly toward the depths of Huai Mountain, so he expanded his Spatial Domain, and the domain’s edge just enveloped the aura.

With the Blessing status in effect, he didn’t have to worry about danger at all, reaching out to hold Erin’s hand, his figure flickered, and they teleported to the location of the aura.

As soon as he and Erin landed, they saw a cultivator wearing gray-blue armor and a conical hat, with a penetrating wound in his abdomen, leaning against a large tree.

The cultivator’s aura was unstable and he was seriously injured, but the physical injuries were minor; the real danger lay in the transparent flames engulfing him.

The flames contained spiritual energy, burning the cultivator’s body while also scorching his spirit and will. The cultivator was trembling all over, clearly on the verge of mental collapse.

Just as Wu Chang was about to approach the hat-wearing cultivator, he suddenly felt a surge from the ground and quickly halted his steps.

In front of the hat-wearing cultivator, the ground split open, and a five-meter-long beast with a tiger’s head, a leopard’s body, and brass-like scales, stood in front of the hat-wearing cultivator, roaring at Wu Chang.

It seemed to be warning him that taking one more step forward would result in an attack.

Though the giant beast before him had changed somewhat from the form he remembered, he recognized it as the Mountain Guardian Beast used during the annual festival in the Peaceful Year Dungeon.

The Mountain Guardian Beast breathing heavily in front of the hat-wearing cultivator had scales similar to dragon scales, with limbs morphing into dragon claws, its dragon lineage had awakened, and its aura was extraordinarily powerful. Just its formidable physique would be difficult for players ranked above 300 to conquer.

Wu Chang remembered that An Rong’s ability was beast mastery, and when he left Huai Valley Village, An Rong had taken all captured Mountain Guardian Beasts. The appearance of the Mountain Guardian Beast confirmed the identity of the hat-wearing cultivator ahead.

He stepped back slightly, indicating to the Mountain Guardian Beast that he meant no harm, then gave Erin a glance.

Erin sensed Wu Chang’s intention, pointing her index finger towards An Rong, and a Holy Light descended from the sky, temporarily suppressing the transparent flames around An Rong’s body.

Erin’s eyes showed surprise. The level of Light Magic she used was high, equivalent to nearly an A-Level skill.

For her, near Middle Level God strength using an A-Level skill should have dispelled the transparent flames, but the flames were more troublesome than she had anticipated.

The flames continued to burn An Rong’s spirit and soul; to ensure his safety, more potent skills, like Undying Sacred Fire, had to be used.

But doing so might provoke an attack from the Mountain Guardian Beast, and while Wu Chang wasn’t afraid of how fierce the Mountain Guardian Beast might be, he feared his uncontrolled strength might inadvertently harm the Mountain Guardian Beast.

Just as he was considering how to communicate with the Mountain Guardian Beast to allow them near An Rong for further treatment, he saw An Rong enveloped in a bright rainbow light that directly extinguished the transparent flame.

The rainbow light surrounded An Rong within ten meters, interspersed with twinkling specks of light, encircling him like a halo of stars.