Chapter 988: 307. Shadows Surge_2
The most significant trait of shadow creatures is their silence and stealth.
They can perfectly conceal their energy fluctuations.
Within Noland Lee’s energy perception range, the only disturbances were those of rock and soil energy created by the mud and stones.
If he hadn’t heard the noise from the shadow pupa cocoon, he would have had no way to detect its presence.
This is precisely why shadow creatures are such a headache.
Noland’s gaze swept over the “weakness” column.
...
To deal with shadow creatures, it was best to use silent power, flames, and thunder and lightning energy.
Conveniently, he had all three types of magic energy at hand.
In the confined underground space, using flames and thunder and lightning energy was somewhat dangerous.
Silent power was the right choice.
Noland reached into his magic pouch and pulled out his “Sword of Silence.”
As he advanced from the first level to the third, the “Sword of Silence” had grown from a dagger to a short sword.
Noland held the “Sword of Silence” in his right hand, channeling silent power from his magic lungs, and poured it into the hilt.
Using the “Sword of Silence” as a medium, Noland cast “Magic Shield” once more.
This time, however, the energy used for the shield was not rock and soil energy but silent power.
The original “Rock Shield” dissipated into brown specks of light, replaced by a gray magic fog.
The thin layer of fog clung close to Noland’s skin, forming a “Silent Shield” that was physically weak but highly resistant to spells.
After confirming that the shadow pupa cocoon wasn’t an unbeatable foe, Noland decided to confront it head-on.
Killing the shadow pupa cocoon was secondary; his main goal was to see where it would rebirth itself.
The deconstructed panel had said so, hadn’t it?
There was a shadow array that marked the rebirth location of the shadow pupa cocoon.
Noland wanted to find this shadow array and try to deconstruct it.
If he could gain methods to summon and control the shadow pupa cocoon from it, that would be ideal.
With “finding the shadow array” as his goal, would approaching the shadow pupa cocoon trigger its “intention of killing perception”?
Noland was quite curious to find out the answer.
He eradicated all thoughts of “killing the shadow pupa cocoon” from his mind and gave an order to the Rock Spirit to start tunneling.
“Clang, clang, clang…”
The Rock Spirit swung its fists, pounding the floor beneath it.
Each punch formed an arc-shaped crater.
After three consecutive rounds, the vertical passage could extend a meter or so downwards.
The regular pounding sounds, traveling through soil and rock, reached a depth of a hundred meters and successfully drew the shadow pupa cocoon’s attention.
“Shasha! Kakaka!”
The familiar noise emerged once again, but this time it was considerably louder.
Perhaps due to the “Silent Shield,” the shadow pupa cocoon reacted violently.
Noland steadied his mind, resisting the discomfort the noise caused.
The good news was, by not deliberately thinking about killing the shadow pupa cocoon, he truly managed to avoid triggering its “intention of killing perception.”
The group of shadow pupa cocoons did not activate “shadow transfer” to flee from Noland’s approach.
“Clang, clang, clang, clang…”
The Rock Spirit, devoid of sentience and a pure tool, was unaffected by the noise.
After nearly a minute of continuous, intense punching, accompanied by the crisp sound of breaking stone, the ceiling above the shadow pupa cocoon was shattered by the Rock Spirit.
“Huala la…”
The stones fell, and dust wafted through the air.
“Shasha! Kakaka!”
Several shadow pupa cocoons emitted crazy shrieks in unison, as human faces within them surged forth like waves.
Noland gripped the “Sword of Silence,” using it as a magic wand.
He bent his elbow and swung his arm, the sword tip tracing a semicircle in front of him as he executed the newly learned “Silence Sword Technique.”
The reserves of silent power in his magic organs dropped, and an arc filled with a gray glow shot from the sword tip, surging toward the nearest shadow pupa cocoon.
“Pfft.”
That shadow pupa cocoon hadn’t had time to eject its “Shadow Net” when it was bisected by the gray arc, exploding like a burst bubble, spewing out a large amount of black mucus.
This mucus wasn’t truly “mucus.”
It was the remains of the perished shadow pupa cocoon, composed of shadow energy and remnants of life creatures.
Noland waved his hand and threw out a dozen “Tracking Marks,” which landed on the mucus from the shadow pupa cocoon.
Just as the “Tracking Marks” were set, the scattered mucus on the ground turned into black smoke and burrowed underground, disappearing in an instant. noveldrama
[System Message:]
[The “Tracking Marks” x15 you just laid have been destroyed by shadow energy.]
“Uh? My marks were destroyed so quickly?”
Noland was slightly startled, turning his gaze to the three remaining shadow pupa cocoons on the scene.
He was about to release the gray arc when he saw those three shadow pupa cocoons convulse and similarly turn into black smoke that sank into the ground.
“Ah, that’s bad. I accidentally harbored a killing intent.”
Noland tapped his forehead, sighing to himself.
The moment his “Tracking Marks” were destroyed, the thought of killing another shadow pupa cocoon to try finding the shadow array with “Tracking Marks” emerged in his mind.
It was this subconscious thought that allowed the shadow pupa cocoons to sense his killing intent and escape using “shadow transfer.”
Noland chuckled wryly, shaking his head in resignation.
There was nothing he could do—it was his instinctive reaction.
It might take a few more tries before he could suppress his subconscious urge to kill.