HPDBC Chapter 144 The Ghost King Who Worships the Emperor
Chapter 144 The Ghost King Who Worships the Emperor
Su Yunqing strode forward, the radiance of Yao Guang's blessing shining down, the warm energy enveloping Zhao Leiguang's almost shattered arms and knees that had been smashed into the ground.
The stinging sensation quickly subsided, leaving only a tingling numbness.
"Thanks." Zhao Leiguang grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, but the smile aggravated the wound at the corner of his mouth, causing him to grimace again.
Xiao Qianyu retrieved the Dragon King Halberd, walked to his side, glanced down at the S-class shield that was broken in the middle and only held together by a layer of metal, and said nothing.
That look was more effective than any words.
Zhao Leiguang shrank back: "This...this was an accident. The quality of S-grade equipment is just not good. I'll apply to exchange it for a legendary one when I get back."
The demon general's enormous corpse transformed into countless black specks of light before their eyes, leaving behind a pile of glittering, golden spoils that illuminated the ruins like a temple.
"What are you waiting for? Open the box!" Lin Chuxue kicked Zhao Lei in the bare butt.
Zhao Leiguang jumped up with a start, ignoring his injuries, and rushed over, muttering, "Give me a legendary one, give me a legendary one..."
He's currently the worst-equipped player on the team and desperately needs reinforcements.
He first picked up a flamboyant longsword, its blade engraved with intricate magical runes, clearly not an ordinary item.
"S-rank, Demon-Slaying Blade, increases damage against demon units by 30%. Trash, melt it down at the military factory for use as material." Zhao Lei glanced at the attributes and casually tossed it into the public storage space.
Next was a breastplate, its luster understated yet possessing astonishing defensive capabilities.
"S-rank, Unmoving Mountain Heart, not bad, let's give it to the reserve team."
"S-tier, Windranger's Boots..."
"S-rank, the Ring of the Balrog..."
Zhao Leiguang flipped through the items one by one, muttering to himself like a housewife picking out cabbages.
Wen Yue and Shen Xinglin, standing to the side, were already used to it, checking their weapons and supplies without a care in the world. They had long since passed the stage of being unable to resist seeing S-class equipment.
In modern China, there may be a lack of other things, but there is no shortage of S-grade ordinary equipment.
"Hmm?" Zhao Lei pulled out an inconspicuous helmet from under a pile of dazzling equipment.
The helmet was entirely black with a matte finish, devoid of any superfluous decorations. Its design was ancient, even somewhat ugly. It lay there quietly, without a trace of energy fluctuation, blending into a pile of S-grade equipment like a counterfeit.
"What...is this thing?"
He picked it up, but it felt heavy in his hand. The helmet's information panel unfolded automatically.
Fables
[Quality: S-Rank Legendary]
[Type: Head armor]
[Attributes: Constitution +150, Spirit +100, All Attribute Resistances +20%]
[Special Effect - God/Demon Switching: The holder can actively switch between 'divine' and 'demonic' forms.]
[Divinity: Remaining stationary for more than 3 seconds will enter the 'Divinity' state, restoring 10% of maximum health and shield value per second, and reducing all damage taken by 30%. Moving or attacking will immediately interrupt this state.]
[Ghostly Nature: Continuous movement or attacking for more than 3 seconds will enter the 'Ghostly Nature' state, increasing movement speed by 50%, attack speed by 50%, and all attacks dealing 15% additional true damage. Remaining stationary will immediately end this state.]
"Is it a god or a demon? Only children make the choice."
The entire squad gathered around.
"Holy crap!" Zhao Lei's eyes widened in disbelief. "Isn't that the same skill that big black guy used earlier?"
Lu Yan added, "This equipment makes you both durable and fast. It's actually really suitable for you."
This equipment is tailor-made for a tank that needs to constantly move to draw aggro and also needs to stand still and withstand attacks at crucial moments.
Without saying a word, Zhao Leiguang put the helmet on his head.
He tried to stand still, and three seconds later, a warm current surged from his heart and quickly spread throughout his body, sweeping away the hidden injuries and fatigue left by the battle.
He tried running back and forth a few more times, and felt as if the wind was blowing under his feet, his body was incredibly light, and he could swing his shield much faster.
"Amazing!" Zhao Leiguang excitedly patted his new helmet. "This thing is awesome!"
With the new equipment, the team's atmosphere became much more relaxed.
After Xiao Qianyu finished counting all the spoils of war, she planned to allocate most of them directly to the logistics department, leaving only a few items with special entries for her own internal use.
"keep going."
The group regrouped and advanced toward the center of the ancient city.
The further you go in, the more bizarre the surrounding scenery becomes.
The ruins have disappeared, replaced by well-preserved ancient buildings, but the walls of those buildings are covered with a layer of dried, dark red scabs.
The putrid stench in the air faded, replaced by a more ancient and chilly atmosphere, like the dusty air of an ancient tomb.
They eventually stopped in the central square of the ancient city.
The place was eerily empty. The ancient bell that had reached the heavens earlier had vanished, leaving only a bottomless pit in its place.
At the end of the square, atop ninety-nine white jade steps, stands an enormous, almost exaggerated throne.
The throne was crafted from the skeleton of an unknown black behemoth, with dark gold patterns flowing across its surface, and two menacing horns pointing skyward at the top of the backrest.
The throne was empty.
Beneath the throne, before the steps, a massive figure lay prostrate on the ground.
That was also a ghost general, but it was several times larger than the one they had just managed to kill with great effort.
It knelt there, forehead to the ground, maintaining the most devout worship posture, motionless.
Behind it, hundreds of smaller ghost soldiers knelt in a dense, prostration posture, and the entire square was deathly silent.
"Is this... a pilgrimage to the Emperor of Fengdu?" Lin Chuxue asked in a low voice.
"It seems so." Lu Yan's gaze swept over the empty throne. "It's just that the person in question isn't home."
"Whatever, they're all monsters anyway." Zhao Leiguang slammed his two newly replaced S-rank spare shields together in front of him, making a dull thud. "Just keep fighting."
He spoke casually, but everyone gripped their weapons tightly.
The scene before me had an indescribable eeriness about it.
Just then, the enormous ghost general who was lying prostrate on the ground moved.
It wasn't a violent movement; it was just that its forehead, which was pressed against the ground, slowly lifted up an inch.
Crack... Squeak...
It was as if a mechanism that had been rusting for a thousand years had been restarted; the sound was so jarring in the deathly silent square that it made one's teeth ache.
It noticed them.
The being that Lu Yan called the "Ghost King" slowly, inch by inch, straightened up.
It stood up slowly, yet with an irresistible sense of oppression.
Its head first climbed over the height of the first step, then the second, the third... When it stood up completely, the entire team had to tilt their heads back to the limit to see its full appearance.
Four stories high.
"He's so tall..."
Its head immediately touched the blood-red sky above the square, and its shadow enveloped the entire first squad.
It is no longer a simple ghost general. Instead of armor, it is covered with a rough, black keratinous layer like mountain rocks. It has four thick arms on its back, each holding a rusty giant weapon.
Its face has no facial features, only a single, vertical eye burning with a ghostly green flame.
That eye was staring intently at them.