Just as the Soul Slave's sharp claws were about to pierce through Yu Chuan's back, a Blood Color chain suddenly shot in from the side, wrapping around Yu Chuan's waist and yanking him hard.

Yu Chuan, who was about to hit the ground, was pulled off course in midair by the chain, narrowly avoiding the Soul Slaves' lethal encirclement.

He rolled twice on the ground to shed the force, then looked up to see the Blood Color chain in the captain's hand shrinking back into his palm like a Spirit Snake.

Right after, the team's Support Stream player cast Life Connection, putting another layer of insurance on him.

On the other side, the team's Magic players lifted a hand, activating the Ice Mist Breath trait. Countless Ice Arrows condensed around them, and with a casual wave, the Ice Arrows shot out, piercing through the half-real, half-illusory bodies of the five Soul Slaves.

The assassin teammate's figure also emerged from Twilight Shadow Form at this moment, a Short Blade wrapped in purple lightning in each hand. His figure flitted like a ghost among the frozen Soul Slaves.

Each time he swept past one, the thunderlight on the blades surged a bit stronger.

With the final strike, the twin blades slashed in a crossing arc, and the five Soul Slaves exploded simultaneously into a sky full of Ice Crystals.

"Beautiful."

The captain, Pig Teammate, clapped and laughed, then tossed a Healing Potion to Yu Chuan:

"Bro, recover your state first. We're not in a hurry. As long as we wipe out all the Soul Slaves, the Soul Beasts will be ours to capture."

Yu Chuan nodded, bit open the Potion Bottle cap, and downed it in one gulp.

The icy liquid slid down his throat, and Yu Chuan immediately felt a warm current explode from his stomach, surging to all his limbs and bones in an instant. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

An ant-bite-like tingling came from the three pitch-black wounds on his back as the lingering chill of the Soul Slaves was forcibly driven out, condensing into tiny Ice Crystals on the surface of his skin before rustling off.

He rolled his shoulders, glanced at his rapidly recovering health bar, and got up.

"Full HP resurrection." Yu Chuan twisted his neck, feeling the Gang Qi coursing through his meridians like a river.

"Remember, don't get greedy. If there's danger, retreat. We'll be waiting at the cave entrance to cover you." The assassin players in the team flicked the liquid off their Daggers and spoke with a smile.

"Got it."

Yu Chuan nodded firmly, turned, walked to the Soul Beast Nest, and stepped into the dim passage.

This time he was even more cautious, his eyes constantly sweeping the surroundings along the way.

Reaching the bend where he'd encountered the Soul Slaves just now, he continued inward another hundred meters or so, and the scene before him made his breath hitch.

He saw hundreds of Soul Beast Eggs quietly floating in a circular cavern, connected by web-like neural cords.

Around each egg floated pale blue light particles, which were extracting Derivative Energy through energy transmission nodes that interfaced with the Rule.

These were precisely the Soul Beast Seeds they were after.

"Captain, I've found the target. Getting ready to move."

He lowered his voice to report while vigilantly scanning his surroundings.

He could see large numbers of Soul Slaves resting in the corners, curled up like fetuses in a womb.

"The stream's seeing this. Try taking action. If the Soul Slaves wake up, just run outside. Don't try to be a hero."

Yu Chuan nodded, lightened his steps, and came beneath the Soul Beast Seeds.

Just as he reached out toward the nearest egg, a drop of slime suddenly dripped from the cave ceiling.

Yu Chuan jerked back, and wisps of green smoke rose where he'd just been standing as the ground was corroded.

Looking up, he saw that at some point, countless Blood Color eyeballs had opened within the mycelium network.

Decomposition swept out, revealing it to be another form of Soul Slave.

"We've been made, run!" the captain's roar sounded in the team channel.

Right then, a Soul Slave shaped like a bat swooped down. Yu Chuan spun aside, Gang Qi condensing in his palm into a thin blade that slashed horizontally.

He sliced this Soul Slave cleanly in two.

The Soul Slaves' powerful reshaping ability was meaningless before the Player System.

Even the Black Tide Demonic Spirits couldn't heal; Soul Beasts stood even less of a chance.

As the successful kill's Challenger Tips sounded in his mind, Yu Chuan decisively turned and sprinted away.

He very much wanted to grab two Soul Beast Seeds and run.

But just as the captain had said, when it comes to profit, there's no need to rush it.

The Space Bag couldn't store "items" with a complete Life form, and the Pet Space could only take in Lives that had been cleansed by Purification. Carrying Soul Beast Seeds while running would only slow his escape Speed.

Facing the swarm of bat-like Soul Slaves pouncing toward him, Yu Chuan smeared Gang Qi under his feet and bolted toward the cave entrance.

But this time, an accident still happened.

He was a good four to five hundred meters from the cave entrance, far too late to retreat, and was surrounded by Soul Slaves with greater Moving Speed.

Their dense attacks hammered his body; there was no way to defend.

The Soul Slaves' sharp claws and fangs tore open his throat. The intense pain lasted only a short while before Yu Chuan's vision sank into boundless Darkness, and his soul returned to Emperor Zhao.

He had just entered the Little Black House when he received a transfer of 2,000 sacrificial power from the captain.

Transfer note: Bro, don't get discouraged. Go to the Armed Vehicle Factory first and pick up an Electric Light Steed or a basic Floating Skateboard. We'll be Hunting near the usual spot, waiting for you. Victory and defeat are common to every player; no need to feel guilty.

"What a good captain!"

They always said old players were arrogant, but this bald captain with the goofy ID had shown Yu Chuan a very different kind of veteran's demeanor.

It went to show that only a portion of old players liked putting on a show in front of newbies; there were still plenty of warm-hearted veterans willing to help newbies grow and give all kinds of encouragement.

Pulling himself together and taking advantage of his time in the Little Black House, he started reading Strategy guides on using Gang Qi.

An hour later, Yu Chuan spent 1,200 sacrificial power in Imperial Tomb Village to get a basic Floating Skateboard, then set off again toward the area where his teammates were.

With the Vehicle's support, he reached his teammates' area in only one-fifth of the time it had taken before.