Chapter 62: Killing Monsters

The monsters in this town were generally more powerful than those in other places, so many people believed there was some unknown secret or treasure hidden in the town.

But Xu Feng knew that this town held no special secrets. If there was anything unusual, it was that not all the monsters in the town were created by Void Insectoid Race parasitism—many were mutated creatures resulting from the emergence of the Space-Time Rift.

Xu Feng walked quietly alone on the street. From a discarded car at a nearby corner, a dark figure suddenly leaped out, let out a roar at the sky, and charged toward Xu Feng.

Xu Feng looked at it. It was a monster covered in sharp Bone Spikes, standing about two meters tall. Its tongue was three to four meters long, constantly extending, retracting, and writhing, making a hissing sound.

“A Whip Tongue Insect? I didn’t expect the first monster I’d encounter to be a mature-stage Void Insectoid Race.” Xu Feng gripped his longsword tightly and charged at the Whip Tongue Insect.

Not all Void Insectoid Race needed a host to survive. If there weren’t enough hosts, the Void Insectoid Race could grow on their own and become mature-stage beings. Among Insect Race of the same level, the mature-stage ones were generally stronger than the parasitic ones, but if the host itself was powerful, then the parasitic Insect Race would be even stronger after taking over.

The Whip Tongue Insect stared at Xu Feng, making a hissing noise similar to a snake’s. As it ran, its sturdy limbs stamped on the road, kicking up clouds of dust. The black Insect Crystal on its forehead shone with a glow like fireflies as it charged.

Before it got close, with a snap, the Whip Tongue Insect’s tongue cut through the air with a whip-like crack, lashing out to grab Xu Feng.

Xu Feng pushed off the ground with his legs, leaping into the air to dodge the Whip Tongue Insect’s attack. Before the monster could retract its tongue, Xu Feng’s body paused briefly mid-air, then shot toward the Whip Tongue Insect like an arrow from a bow.

Swift Wind Thrust!

Mid-air, Xu Feng activated his skill, propelling his body forward as he stabbed at the Whip Tongue Insect.

With three consecutive strikes, Xu Feng’s longsword pierced through the Whip Tongue Insect’s neck. Then, with a boom, its neck exploded, nearly half of it breaking off. The Whip Tongue Insect stumbled backward, thick fluid oozing from the wound as it struggled to heal itself.

The Swift Wind Thrust skill dealt physical damage with the first three strikes, and the final energy explosion was mental damage. Combined with Xu Feng’s innate 300% boost to sword damage, this skill at this stage was practically Divine Grade.

The threat of death made the Whip Tongue Insect retreat toward the shadows. But severely injured, with its head tilted to one side, it staggered unsteadily, no longer able to match the speed it had when it first lunged at Xu Feng.

A cruel smile tugged at Xu Feng’s lips. He stepped forward and swung his sword at the wound on the Whip Tongue Insect’s neck.

Thump!

The already broken neck was completely severed. The Whip Tongue Insect’s head flew into the air. Even separated from its body, the creature didn’t die immediately—its tongue thrashed wildly in the air, as if trying to wrap around Xu Feng and drag him down with it.

The headless body collapsed, twitching repeatedly. The head fell from the sky and rolled to Xu Feng’s feet. Looking at the Whip Tongue Insect’s unblinking eyes, Xu Feng bent down, pried out the black Insect Crystal, and then used Gathering Art on the corpse.

A red, coiled tongue appeared on the Whip Tongue Insect’s body.

Gathering Art not only saved time and effort and preserved the quality of materials—it also selected the best parts from the target’s body.

The most valuable part of this Whip Tongue Insect was its three-to-four-meter-long tongue, the best material for making a whip.

“With skills and innate talent, the strength I can unleash is just too powerful. Monsters at the same level as me can’t even withstand a single encounter.” Xu Feng clenched his fist, and a surge of confidence welled up inside him.

He glanced at his wrist. The Communicator already showed that he had gained ten team Points.

“First one done. On to the next.” Xu Feng vanished from the town’s streets, leaving behind only the Whip Tongue Insect’s body, now missing its tongue, lying quietly on the ground.

Time passed minute by minute. This town had long been blockaded by the military stationed near Linhai City. Now, those fighting inside the town were all teams that had accepted the extermination mission and were officially registered.

Most of the monsters in the town were Two-Star level and incredibly strong. The teams that entered usually consisted of three or four people, working together to hunt. These groups cooperated smoothly and didn’t get greedy—each time, they only hunted one Two-Star monster. After killing it, they took the Insect Crystal and any materials they fancied, then quickly moved to another location to avoid being surrounded by monsters.

On the roof of a three-story building, two dark figures swiftly clashed. This was a villager parasitized by the Insect Race, and by now, it was impossible to tell it had once been human. Its body was covered in metallic-looking shell, it had sharp mouthparts, arthropod-like legs, and forelimbs that resembled Bone Blades—truly terrifying.

Swish!

A flash of cold light swept by, and the Insect Human’s head soared into the air. The moment Xu Feng sheathed his sword, an Insect Race lurking nearby suddenly pounced on him.

This was an Insect Race that had parasitized a wild cat. Cat Insect Demons were among the most troublesome monsters. They were incredibly fast and excelled at ambushes—many who encountered them lost their lives mysteriously.

Xu Feng turned and blocked the Cat Insect Demon’s sharp claws with his sword. Then, rotating his wrist, he swiftly stabbed three times. The Cat Insect Demon’s body was pierced with a hole the size of a bowl, blood and shattered internal organs gushing from the wound.

The Cat Insect Demon let out a piercing shriek, its eyes full of vicious hatred toward Xu Feng. Even on the brink of death, the Cat Insect Demon showed no fear—it only wanted to kill Xu Feng.

Sword out, sword back! The Cat Insect Demon’s head was chopped off.

“Against ordinary Two-Star experts, the Cat Insect Demon’s sneak attacks would pose quite a threat. Unfortunately, you ran into me.” Xu Feng shook his head and dug out two Insect Crystals.

Xu Feng’s Agility had already reached Two-Star Peak level. Combined with Swift Wind Thrust, each sword strike was faster than the last, completely surpassing the Cat Insect Demon’s reaction speed.

“Ten monsters down. My Points are over a hundred now. I wonder how the others are doing with their hunts.” Xu Feng glanced at the darkening sky, wondering where exactly that Abandoned Well was—the one said to hold a sleeping Three-Star monster.

Xu Feng never stayed in one place for too long. On one hand, it was to avoid being surrounded by the Insect Race; on the other, he was searching for that Abandoned Well.

Zhao Qiang moved slowly along the narrow paths of the town. He was empty-handed, without any weapons—only his hands were stained with blood, dripping steadily as he walked.