Chapter 94: Flying Evil Ghost

These dark-red bats were not very high-level, and had low health, but their claws carried poison. Being attacked by them was still annoying.

One black and one white Sword Light formed a tight sword net in front of Ye Rong. The flapping dark-red bats that flew toward him seemed to enter a meat grinder, falling down like rain.

In an instant, a thick layer of bat corpses piled up on the ground.

“Why does it feel like the number of bats isn’t decreasing even after killing so many? I should just charge out!”

Each dark-red bat only gave one Experience Point. If they had Experience Points similar to normal monsters, he might have been willing to stay a bit longer and treat it as grinding for experience.

Intent on breaking through, Ye Rong’s sword technique underwent a subtle, almost imperceptible change. This group of dark-red bats was fierce and fearless, and their numbers were enormous. To leave safely without paying some price would require considerable effort.

Previously, he could only be considered a casual player. Although his sword technique and Flying Sword control surpassed ordinary players due to his extraordinary talent and personal interest, that was all. In other aspects, he still lagged behind those professional players who had immersed themselves in the game for years—such as grasp of the battle situation, quick analysis of monster data, allocation of True Qi usage during combat, and identifying key solutions in tedious and chaotic tasks.

In these areas, Ye Rong had shortcomings. This was also why he was once called one of the Two Great Divine Swords but did not make it into the top rankings of the game’s strongest players.

As this thought crossed his mind, the brilliance of the black and white Sword Light in his hands suddenly weakened slightly, causing gaps to appear in the sword net’s defense. A few dark-red bats almost reached him. Several extremely dangerous situations occurred in a row, but in the blink of an eye, Ye Rong resolved them with apparent ease.

If something could be handled with thirty percent effort, there was no need to use fifty percent—or even strive to accomplish it with just twenty percent.

Ye Rong felt a vague understanding of this, and the Sword Light in his hands grew even fainter. Yet, the dark-red bats died and fell to the ground even faster.

His swordplay began to evolve toward a direction like an antelope hanging its horns—leaving no trace to follow. It faintly carried an ethereal aura.

A large area in front of him cleared of bats. Seizing this opening, Ye Rong charged out without a second thought, using Sword Flight to rush deep into the passage. Deep within the bat swarm, there seemed to be two giant bats with wingspans of three to four meters. With each opening of their mouths, countless smaller bats flew out endlessly.

He did not want any further complications; he just wanted to get through this passage as quickly as possible.

This narrow passage was at least several miles long, winding and twisting through more than a dozen turns. Finally breaking free, he was met with a sky full of Demonic Qi pressing down.

“So many ugly creatures!”

Exiting the narrow passage, he saw over twenty extremely ugly monsters flying in the air, each with a pair of fleshy wings covered in numerous bumps and lumps. They glared at Ye Rong fiercely.

Flying Evil Ghost, Level 40 common monster.

These Flying Evil Ghosts were enveloped in strong Demonic Qi, like a layer of armor. Each held a club as thick as a person’s waist. A single swing produced a sharp, whistling sound through the air. Imagining it hitting him made Ye Rong’s expression turn slightly stern.

The large clubs swung incessantly. As soon as Ye Rong showed himself, they were thrown directly at him. Despite his best efforts to dodge, he was still grazed once. His entire body felt numb and weak, as if electrocuted.

He used his Flying Sword to block two clubs, but the immense force transmitted through them almost knocked the sword out of his hand. He could barely maintain his grip.

The Mystic Purple Qi Shield was shattered almost instantly under the onslaught of the clubs. Ye Rong had no choice but to rely on Sword Flight to swiftly weave through the air, avoiding capture by the Flying Evil Ghosts.

“Fighting these ugly creatures head-on is just foolish. I need to change my strategy!”

He used the Self-Restraint Sword for flight and the Black Phoenix Sword to attack the enemy. But with twenty-three or twenty-four Flying Evil Ghosts, even if he found an opportunity to strike one, by the time he circled back, identifying which one he had attacked earlier was purely a matter of luck.

Fortunately, this area was vast, with some thick stone pillars allowing him to maneuver and shake off pursuit. After a couple of laps, the number of Flying Evil Ghosts still stubbornly chasing him had dropped to about half.

“This might work!”

This method of shaking off the Flying Evil Ghosts seemed simple but was actually very troublesome. The ones that lost their target and were left behind would linger on Ye Rong’s flight path. If he flew the same route again, he would attract them back into pursuit.

So, as the number of chasing monsters decreased, the difficulty multiplied, testing Ye Rong more severely. The available routes also became fewer.

Now, almost every possible flight path already had two or three Flying Evil Ghosts lingering. No matter which route he took, he would alert them.

Ye Rong glanced back. Only six Flying Evil Ghosts remained on his tail—this was the limit of what he could manage.

He couldn’t let all his previous efforts go to waste!

In an instant, he struck five consecutive times at the same Flying Evil Ghost, scattering its protective Demonic Qi, though without causing substantial damage. Immediately after, he was bombarded by six clubs, forcing him into a frantic escape. Still, managing five rapid strikes on a single target in such a brief moment was quite impressive.

“Pinpointing one target for consecutive attacks among over twenty Flying Evil Ghosts might be beyond me, but with only six, it shouldn’t be too difficult!”

Ye Rong felt he had found the right approach. Creating some distance, he turned and unleashed a fierce sword assault, all aimed at the Flying Evil Ghost whose protective Demonic Qi had been scattered and hadn’t yet reformed.

After repeating this over ten times, he finally defeated that Flying Evil Ghost with one last strike, letting out a long sigh of relief.

Even if it took time, as long as it worked on the first one, the same method could be applied to the rest. After all, the Immortal’s Cave Abode didn’t impose a time limit for clearing this stage.

Learning from the earlier experience, Ye Rong’s self-dubbed “Severed Finger Tactic” proved effective repeatedly. After about twenty more minutes, he finally cleared the six Flying Evil Ghosts following him.

Just as he cautiously eliminated two separate groups of Flying Evil Ghosts and thought he could pass this stage smoothly, a mournful, low-pitched cry suddenly echoed. All the Flying Evil Ghosts’ eyes lit up with an evil red glow, firmly locking onto Ye Rong’s body.

“Darn, the System is cheating!”