Chapter 164 - 125: So Hard to Fool

The seaward portion of the Casa Peninsula was oddly shaped, resembling a fang. Its two sides extended outwards, forming a small bay.

On the other side of the bay, Li Miao could clearly see a waterway that also connected to the Dark Boundary. It looked like the path Le Ti had taken.

Directly ahead of the Casa Peninsula lay the Dark Boundary, shrouded in impenetrable gloom. What lay hidden within was anyone’s guess.

The sky was gloomy and dark.

The air seemed to carry the familiar dust of Ghosts, making one feel cold and desolate, tinged with a hint of fear.

The entire Casa Peninsula seemed utterly devoid of life...

Clad in his Law Knight Heavy Armor and wielding a Lance and a Large Shield, Li Miao advanced slowly along a road on the Casa Peninsula.

It wasn’t as if he encountered no monsters along the way. On the contrary, there were quite a few, often launching surprise attacks from corners and shadows.

However, they were mostly Ghosts and other such creatures, all of them rather weak. Li Miao dealt with them easily.

PFFT!

The Frost Riding Spear thrust out once more. Its tip, blazing with Warfire, viciously pierced a Ghost’s body as an icy mist billowed outward.

[You have killed a Wandering Ghost]

[Acquired: Wax Oil x4]

After killing the monster that blocked his path, Li Miao strode into a building that looked rather unusual.

It appeared to be a simple Prayer Chamber. Faint sounds of prayer emanated from within, which was the very reason Li Miao had approached it.

Upon entering the building, he got a clear view of the scene inside.

A group of semi-transparent Ghosts knelt on the ground, piously chanting prayers as if begging for forgiveness.

The one leading them, however, was a completely different story.

It was not a Ghost.

It was a monster with bluish-brown skin, a ferocious face, powerful limbs, fangs, and vertical pupils. It seemed long accustomed to resting on all fours.

[Soul-Devouring Throat]

[Tier: Embers]

[Level: 19]

[Talent: Soul-Tearing Fang]

[Skills: Soul as Pawn, Tearing Claws, Corpse-devouring Tongue, Devouring Ghosts]

[Explanation: A monster that loves to eat Ghosts, though it will snack on corpses as well. It’s not a picky eater. It often appears alongside various Celestial Calamities, but it usually isn’t interested in leading Ghosts in prayer.]

What was so outrageous was that this very monster, a creature that specialized in eating Ghosts, was currently leading a group of them in prayer.

It was like a fox guarding the henhouse, giving off an indescribably bizarre feeling.

Li Miao hadn’t been quiet upon entering. At the very least, anyone with normal hearing should have heard him.

But neither the Soul-Devouring Throat nor the Ghosts behind it seemed to notice. Or perhaps they saw him and simply chose to ignore him, continuing their devout prayers.

This left Li Miao scratching his head.

’Why are these monsters ignoring people?’ Li Miao wondered. He walked up to one of the Ghosts and waved a hand in front of its eyes. ’Can’t you see me?’

"ROAR!"

Li Miao’s simple gesture was like poking a hornet’s nest. In an instant, all of them—the surrounding Ghosts and the Soul-Devouring Throat at the front—fixed their eyes on him.

"ROAR!"

The Soul-Devouring Throat let out a furious roar. It then reached out, grabbed a nearby Ghost, and shoved it into its mouth. It began to chew voraciously, making a teeth-grating sound like someone trying to tear through tough leather.

’Weren’t you all getting along just fine a second ago? Why’d you suddenly turn one of your own into a snack?’

Li Miao snarked internally before raising his Frost Riding Spear. Blazing Warfire erupted around him...

「A moment later.」

[You have killed the Soul-Devouring Throat]

[You have killed a Praying Ghost]

[You have killed a Praying Ghost]

[Acquired: Wax Oil x32]

[...]

An Ember Tier monster leading a group of Residual Ash Tier monsters was, of course, no match for Li Miao, who had already reached the Molten Slag Ash Tier. He quickly slaughtered everyone in the Prayer Chamber.

If not for their superior numbers, Li Miao wouldn’t have even taken that long.

After he killed the Soul-Devouring Throat and its lackeys, nothing useful dropped. The Soul-Devouring Throat was particularly stingy, only dropping Wax Oil.

Li Miao began searching the Prayer Chamber, but he still came up empty-handed.

This made Li Miao frown. He finally gave up after a long, fruitless search.

’Strange. Not even a scrap of text or any information at all? That doesn’t make sense...’

’Don’t tell me the most useful piece of information I got from this was that Soul-Devouring Throats and Ghosts can coexist peacefully?’

’What a load of crap...’

The corner of Li Miao’s mouth twitched. He chose to press onward.

However, after a moment’s thought, his eyes suddenly lit up. He moved to the side of the building and deftly scrambled onto the roof, finding the highest vantage point to begin observing the entire Casa Peninsula.

From there, he was able to get a rough overview of the Casa Peninsula’s interior.

The peninsula was indeed massive. Its mismatched houses and buildings looked chaotic, a far cry from the orderly layout of Seaside Town.

In the central part of the Casa Peninsula was a stretch of conspicuous, fire-ravaged ruins, evidence of a massive blaze.

Behind these ruins stood an enormous, towering wall with its great gates tightly shut. It looked to be the most important location on the entire peninsula.

A fairly wide main road ran through the center, allowing him to use it as a reference point to mentally map out the peninsula’s layout.