Die, Replay, Repeat

Ch. 178 - Devouring Specters

Fang Xiu finally ordered them to open the door. He knew they couldn't avoid the door forever.

If he was right, the real escape route would only appear after opening the door to the Other Side.

Yang Ming didn't hesitate and opened the door.

BUZZ!

A humming sound exploded instantly. Yang Ming and the others' faces changed, and they quickly stepped back. In the next second, countless Snakeworms poured out of the door.

"Run!" Fang Xiu ordered, and everyone turned around and fled.

Fang Xiu, however, moved slowly and steadily as he turned around. He made a small circle and managed to change his direction. Snakeworms soon flooded him, but under the protection of No Turning Back, he remained unharmed.

No Turning Back was cowardly, only bullying the weak. Against the swarm-like Snakeworms, it didn't blink an eye. But when facing Taotie, it fled without hesitation.

Fang Xiu didn't run fast. He simply trailed behind Yang Ming and the others, quietly watching them be chased. He guessed that in this crisis, God would certainly show Yang Ming a way out.

Yang Ming and the others fled in a panic, fighting the Snakeworms as they went.

"Where's Xiu?" Yang Ming suddenly noticed Fang Xiu was missing. His face changed drastically, thinking Fang Xiu had been surrounded by the Snakeworms.

He wanted to go back to save him but heard Fang Xiu's calm voice coming from the swarm of Snakeworms.

"I'm here."

Everyone looked in the direction of his voice and saw Fang Xiu walking leisurely out of the crowd of Specters, looking like he was just taking a stroll. The others were stunned.

Ma Xingbang exclaimed again, "Fang Xiu! You said you're not with them!"

Fang Xiu calmly nodded, "That's right, we're together. Kill him for me."

BUZZ!

A mass of Snakeworms charged toward Ma Xingbang and the others.

Ma Xingbang was terrified. He pulled out his Golden Key and instinctively started searching for a door.

Unfortunately, there was only one door on the fifth floor—the door to the Other Side. From inside the door, countless Snakeworms poured out, leaving Ma Xingbang no opportunity to use the golden key.

Ma Xingbang's misunderstanding of Fang Xiu was actually understandable.

Fang Xiu was standing alone like a king among the Specters. The Specters seemed afraid of him and dared not approach, creating a vacuum around him. Anyone who didn't know better would assume Fang Xiu was controlling the Specter army.

"Xiu, this is no time for jokes."

"Run for your lives. I won't die, but whether you do or not depends on yourself."

Fang Xiu deliberately said those words, hoping to push Yang Ming to his full potential.

Time passed. The group's strength and Spiritual Energy were almost drained, and they were covered in blood, but the escape route had yet to appear.

Fang Xiu frowned slightly. 'Was I wrong? Maybe I need to wait longer. I haven't pushed Yang Ming to the edge yet.'

While the others were running for their lives, he wasn't idle either. He was fully experimenting with Taotie's Mouth.

He focused his Spiritual Energy on imagining Taotie's Mouth and gradually felt a tearing pain in the palm of his left hand. He raised his hand and saw a split forming in the middle of his was a mouth, filled with rows of sinister, sharp teeth.

It was Taotie's Mouth!

Fang Xiu then thrust his left hand into the swarm of Snakeworms, grabbing a long, slimy Specter that resembled a maggot. The Specter struggled fiercely, but the next second, Taotie's Mouth snapped open, and a powerful suction drew the Specter in.

CRUNCH!

The mouth on Fang Xiu's left hand chewed continuously. At the same time, Fang Xiu felt the Specter's power flow into his body. His Spiritual Energy began to stir, and a faint warmth coursed through him.

A strange light flickered in Fang Xiu's eyes. He could feel a slight improvement in both his Spiritual Energy and physical strength. The enhancement was minor but noticeable.

He guessed that the effect was weak because the Snakeworms were too insignificant, and he hadn't consumed enough.

Fang Xiu then continued to reach into the swarm of Specters, with Taotie's Mouth snapping open and closed voraciously, devouring more Snakeworms.

More and more Snakeworms were swallowed, and his Spiritual Energy and physical strength gradually increased.

After consuming nearly a hundred Snakeworms, his awakened Spiritual Energy rose from 25% to 26%; his physical attributes had been improved by about 10%, making him stronger, faster, and more resilient.

After that, Fang Xiu stopped eating. He had reached his limit and felt satisfied.

Even though he had the ability to devour, his body remained fundamentally human, so he couldn't endlessly consume like Taotie. Moreover, as he devoured more Snakeworms, the improvement he felt became less significant. He realized he needed to consume higher-level beings.

Fang Xiu shifted his attention to No Turning Back. After dealing with the Snakeworms, he thought about consuming No Turning Back. After all, it had been locked up in the asylum for a long time, lonely and isolated.

But Fang Xiu soon abandoned the idea. Given his current strength, it would be tough to consume No Turning Back. Despite its unimpressive methods of killing, No Turning Back semed to have high status, as shown by how it could intimidate the Snakeworms.

Meanwhile, the group was backed into a corner, but about five minutes later, it seemed they found a chance.

While Yang Ming was fleeing, he made a sudden sharp turn into a side corridor, causing many Snakeworms to crash directly into the wall opposite due to their inability to turn in time.

The chaotic Specter energy slammed against the wall, causing it to collapse instantly and reveal a red barrier of light.

The Snakeworms that collided with the red light exploded and died, as if affected by some mysterious power.

Fang Xiu, who had been watching Yang Ming closely, understood at once when he saw this scene.

This was the way out.

It could only be opened using Specter energy. No wonder they had to open the door to the Other Side no matter which path they took—it was only on the Other Side that there were enough Specters to reveal the escape route.

The endless swarms of Snakeworms flew chaotically within the labyrinth. As their numbers increased, the maze grew more crowded, raising the chances of breaking through to the escape route.

With the help of Yang Ming's ability, this probability could increase infinitely.

"Here's the way out," Fang Xiu said, then walked toward the red barrier.

He didn't concern himself with the others, nor did he need to.

The three others were third-tier psychics; while the Snakeworms put them in a difficult situation, it wouldn't be fatal. They would only die if they fought for too long and exhausted themselves.

Once inside the red barrier, Fang Xiu immediately felt a weight lift from his back, and the bone-chilling cold disappeared. Clearly, No Turning Back had been left behind.

He began surveying his surroundings. The place was a completely enclosed space, suffused with a faint red glow.

At the far end of the space stood two doors.

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