Chapter 145: Immortal Body [Please Subscribe!]

That broad saber was astonishingly fast, wasting almost no time from the moment of the downward slash to the moment of impact with the monster.

Just like that, the scar-covered monster was split in two. Its entire body was torn apart by the blade, and blood and viscera splattered into every corner of the room.

Fan Li liked the decor of this room; that was why he had chosen it as his residence. Unfortunately, foul-smelling blood had soaked the carpet, internal organs were flung across the walls, and even a length of intestine had landed on the bed. Even though he knew this was all a dream, Fan Li still found it somewhat sickening. He had already secretly decided to change rooms the moment he woke up.

Was the monster dead just like that?

"Heh-heh-heh..."

A laugh came from the floor. Fan Li narrowed his eyes and looked over, only to see that the monster, now severed in two, actually had the corners of its mouth upturned as it emitted some harsh, grating laughter.

"Is this your trick? Ordering some minions to do your bidding—how marvelous. No one has ever been able to cause such trouble within my dreams."

The wounds on the two halves of the body began to wriggle, and the blood grew viscous, like glue, slowly tangling together before merging the body back into one. During this process, it didn't even bother to stuff the fallen internal organs back inside.

With a sweep of its crimson, chilling eyes, a crimson scar line ran down the center of its body, making it look like an assembled doll that might split into two again if too much force was applied.

"What an interesting fight."

"Then next, it's my turn to make you feel terror!"

Just as the voice fell, Fan Li suddenly felt everything before his eyes blur. The monster's body vanished from his sight bit by bit, as if being erased by a rubber eraser.

"Squelch!"

The sound of a piercing strike.

The monster that had vanished from its spot suddenly appeared right in front of the Butcher, extending the steel claws fitted over its hands and plunging them straight into the Butcher's neck.

The Butcher's neck was pierced through, but instead of blood flowing out, human-faced beetles tumbled from the wound.

Sensing the presence of an enemy, those beetles instantly pounced on the monster. Clustering together, they gnawed at it with the mandibles beneath their shells like locusts devouring wheat stalks, reducing the creature to a bloody pulp in just a brief moment.

More and more human-faced beetles crawled out from the Butcher's body, swiftly blanketing the monster. Before long, nothing was left of the opponent except for a skeleton and the sharp steel finger-gauntlets.

"This fellow is even more interesting than I thought."

The human-faced beetles stopped their gnawing. One of them climbed atop the monster's skull, suddenly straightening its body. The face concealed beneath its carapace was covered in horrifying scars. It surveyed its surroundings as if examining its current body, and said with a smile at the corner of its mouth:

"These little ones ate me. Look at their sharp teeth, they can even crunch through stones."

"I am increasingly curious about you. Where did you find this helper to have successfully killed me twice?"

"I cannot simply die within a dream. No matter how many times you kill me, I will revive once more and appear before you. But you are different; if you die here, your heart will also stop beating in the real world. If this were a game, I would have countless lives, while you have only one."

"And you have only one!"

"And you have only one!"

After the monster uttered those final words, more and more human-faced beetles raised their heads. Their faces bore the monster's features as well, their gazes revealing frenzied, violent emotions. Speaking in an irregular and uncoordinated chorus, they created a deafening, grating noise within the empty dream room.

"I will make you die in terror."

"Gag!"

As soon as it finished speaking, the first human-faced beetle suddenly began to retch. Immediately following, the remaining human-faced beetles made the same motion. Within mere seconds, they vomited out all the flesh and blood from their abdomens.

Those meat-paste-like substances gathered together, and slowly, a human silhouette was outlined. The monster proved once again with facts that it possessed an undying body!

Within this dreamscape, it existed in a state of absolute immortality. No matter what cruel method was used to kill it, it would always revive completely unharmed.

"You've said so much; surely you don't merely want to prove that you possess regenerative abilities? If you were truly strong enough, you wouldn't have been killed twice by the Butcher. Yet you blindly put on this grotesque act and continuously repeated psychological suggestions meant to instill terror in me. Let me think, what on earth are you trying to achieve?" Fan Li stood in place and suddenly spoke with calmness.

The monster immediately chuckled and said, "I want to kill you."

"No!"

Fan Li shook his head. "If you had that kind of strength, you would have targeted me on your very first move, instead of standing back and facing the stronger Butcher."

"You repeatedly emphasized making me feel terror, and this is a dream. Is it possible that your power requires feeding on fear in order to grow? Facing the Butcher, who has no emotional fluctuations, and me, who possesses resistance to fear, you were completely helpless. That is why you changed tactics, using the trait of an undying body to make me panic."

"And furthermore..."

Fan Li pulled out one hand and pinched his chin. "Why didn't you attack me? Compared to the Butcher, I am obviously much easier to bully. When summoning the Butcher, you instinctively took a step back. What were you afraid of?"

The pendant around his neck!

Fan Li's eyes widened slightly before he took the crucifix hanging from his neck into his hand, waving it toward the monster: "Are you afraid of this?"

"You really are amusing. Is there any point to groundless guesswork?" The monster's face maintained the exact same expression, showing neither anger nor unease at Fan Li's analysis.

An excellent hunter always keeps their emotions unaffected.

Fan Li curled his lip. "You really disappoint me. Is this the extent of your ability? For an ordinary person, a dream maintaining clarity and the sensation of pain would indeed cause panic. But against zombies and monsters that long ago lost their minds, this ability appears somewhat useless."

"My enemies have never been those weak human beings, but rather unimaginable monsters. I can't let you have made this trip for nothing. Although I'm somewhat unsatisfied with you, it still counts as a rare type of ability."

"In that case..."

Fan Li drew out his words, and before his voice could fade, a sharp, urgent alarm siren rang through the dreamscape.

The familiar room was swallowed by pure darkness, and the scent of rust and foul-smelling blood filled every corner.

Facing the monster, whose expression finally showed a hint of change, Fan Li immediately spoke: "Welcome to the third layer of the world!"