Chapter 178 Unmasking the New Hero

Chapter 178 Unmasking the New Hero

Long Tian's gaze scrutinized each of the Undead he had recently resurrected. With 7 Undead under his command, including the formidable tiger he had raised days earlier, he felt a newfound sense of power.

Examining the transformed humans, now fully embraced by the darkness, their bodies exuding an ominous energy complemented by piercing red eyes.

Long Tian stroked his chin, sensing something odd. "Seems like everything I resurrect follows my strength. They're all in the Flowing Qi realm," he mused.

Previously, he sensed one person in the Nascent Soul realm, but now he felt none of it, replaced by the aura of Flowing Qi.

"Well, 6 Undead in the Flowing Qi realm—not bad at all," Long Tian smirked, a glint of self-approval in his eyes.

With the form of Undead, the cultivation base drop wasn't an issue since they only had three weaknesses: Purification Fire, darkness, and divine power—three exceptionally rare elements. The source of this content is N0veII_bIn

"Now, I might explore this forest further," Long Tian muttered.

With those words, he made his way out of the cave.

----------------

More than three hours had elapsed, the forest sinking into darkness with the eerie symphony of animal and insect sounds echoing from all sides.

In the heart of the woods, Long Tian stood with arms crossed, observing his nine Undead confronting a towering 7-meter gorilla, a formidable 3-star soul beast.

During his exploration, he encountered two 2-star soul beasts in the forms of wolves and hyenas and now both become his Undead legion.

"GRAAAAAWR!" the gorilla bellowed, pounding its chest, releasing a roar accompanied by an intimidating aura.

However, the Undead stood impervious, for they were, after all, Undead.

They charged towards the gorilla, executing coordinated and structured attacks.

Despite the gorilla being a formidable 3-star beast, facing nine Undead in the Flowing Qi realm proved to be a daunting challenge.

The Undead swarmed it, launching attacks from all angles. The humanoid Undead employed supernatural techniques mastered in their previous lives, while the animal-shaped Undead struck blindly.

Long Tian observed with satisfaction as his Undead forces overwhelmed the gorilla.

However, the gorilla suddenly roared forcefully, sending all the Undead airborne.

It leaped, smashing one of the Undead—a large wolf—with both hands, producing a resounding "GRACK!" that shattered the ground.

Dust enveloped the scene, concealing the view. Long Tian's gaze remained fixed on the battleground, eager to know the fate of his wolf.

As the dust settled, clarity returned.

Upon seeing this, a grin adorned Long Tian's face. The wolf appeared unscathed, its compressed form regenerating as if untouched by wounds.

Yet, Long Tian sensed a drain in his power; it seemed the Undead relied on the dark energy within him.

Meanwhile, the gorilla looked astonished. Its ability to express it was cut short as, suddenly, one of the Undead, Song Hu, materialized behind it, brandishing a sword in a battle stance.

With a swift motion, Song Hu thrust the sword into the gorilla's neck, creating a sharp "STAB!" as it pierced through.

The gorilla groaned, dropping to its knees—the sword striking a vital point, rendering its body limp.

Observing this, the other Undead relentlessly attacked from all sides, mercilessly besieging the weakened gorilla.

After a few moments, the gorilla appeared feeble, covered in a mosaic of slashes, scratches, and bites.

Long Tian, witnessing this, unsheathed his darkblade. "Let's end this," he declared.

Swiftly, he darted forward and beheaded the gorilla. Its massive head dropped, followed by its colossal body.

Ning Yuan's expression hardened; she sensed the gravity in Long Tian's words. Glancing around, where other patrons observed their exchange, some even preparing to escape.

She gritted her teeth, and without uttering a word, promptly exited the restaurant, putting distance between herself and Long Tian.

A collective sigh of relief swept through the customers; it appeared a confrontation had been averted.

Long Tian, on the other hand, bore a cold expression. "She's becoming so annoying; it seems I need to prepare a plan to kill her," he declared coldly.

-----------

About 20 minutes passed, and Long Tian completed his meal. Exiting the restaurant, he made his way directly to the vehicle area.

But suddenly, a familiar aura caught his attention. He turned around, spotting a slender man in his forties, standing at 170cm tall with black hair – Guan Ji.

"So, Guan Ji, how did the task unfold? Did you successfully kill Lin Fan?" he asked casually, arms crossed.

Guan Ji immediately bowed earnestly. "I am prepared to face death for failing in my duty, young master!" he declared sincerely.

Rather than expressing anger or disappointment, Long Tian raised an eyebrow with intrigue. Then, a grin spread across his face.

Considering Guan Ji's profession as an assassin and his failure to eliminate Lin Fan, Long Tian's deduction was correct – Lin Fan was a new protagonist!

"Raise your head, Guan Ji," he commanded.

Guan Ji lifted his head, his expression still marked by sweat and guilt.

"I am prepared to accept any consequences, young master!" he declared resolutely.

"No need for that. You remain one of the most talented members of the Long family. Moreover, I am not overly disappointed with your failure. In fact, you've brought me good news," Long Tian said with a smirk, patting Guan Ji on the shoulder.

Confusion crossed Guan Ji's face, but he refrained from speaking.

"Now, enlighten me. How did you falter in killing him? Does he possess extraordinary powers or something?" Long Tian inquired, his tone brimming with curiosity.

"Well, initially, I was convinced he was Lin Fan, especially since he transferred to Tianzhou High School and joined your class today. Confidently launching a swift and covert attack, he somehow anticipated my move. We engaged in a brief skirmish where I had the upper hand, but suddenly, his eyes gleamed with a golden hue, rendering one of my eyes blind, and he managed to escape," Guan Ji explained earnestly.

Listening to this, Long Tian stroked his chin. Eyes shimmering with a golden glow, reminiscent of Qin Chen's ability.

"Did he mention anything about a system or any other peculiarities?" he probed.

"I didn't catch him uttering a word about a system or anything similar," Guan Ji responded.

Furrowing his brow, Long Tian pondered. According to Guan Ji's account, Lin Fan wasn't a system user, intensifying his curiosity about the nature of Lin Fan's protagonist status.

"Then, do you have any information about him, such as where he went today or anything else?" he continued.

"Yes, young master. I overheard that he plans to visit the antique market in the Gunji district tonight," Guan Ji revealed.

Long Tian's interest was piqued at this information. An antique market... Clearly a part of the storyline where the protagonist discovers a valuable item or encounters pivotal characters.

"Good job, Guan Ji. Don't dwell on your failure. And now..." Long Tian's voice trailed off as he retrieved a card from his spatial ring, handing it to Guan Ji.

"Visit Elder Long Ju; he will use this card to treat your blinded eye," he instructed.

Upon hearing this, Guan Ji's eyes widened, and he bowed deeply. "Thank you so much, young master!" he expressed sincerely.

"Alright, you may depart from here," Long Tian said.

Guan Ji raised his head again, nodding. "Then, I'll take my leave, young master," he conveyed.

With that, he swiftly departed, vanishing from sight.

Near his car, a grin adorned Long Tian's face. "The antique market in Tianzhou... We'll cross paths there, Lin Fan!"

Shortly after, he entered his car and drove directly to his villa.

It was now 4 o'clock in the afternoon, with just a few hours remaining until nightfall.