Chapter 323: A Polluted World—Mr. Vampire
A few minutes later,
the protective barrier surrounding them gradually dimmed and finally disappeared.
Everyone set aside their mixed emotions and focused completely on the main mission.
Chaotic noises echoed in their ears.
The hazy vision around them started to clear. At the center of the Ren Family tomb, a crowd had gathered—
digging up a grave.
A heavy coffin was being lifted out by a crude winch system.
"Everyone, today Old Master Ren is exhumed and brought to light. Offer your sacrifices."
A figure dressed in a crimson Taoist robe, with withered skin like a vengeful ghost, stood in the center issuing commands.
A chilling wind blew from nowhere.
The Ren family servants, guards, and hired laborers began to feel cold all over.
Splurt.
A sound like fruit splitting echoed.
One servant's head rolled to the ground.
Blood gushed from his neck and splattered onto the coffin.
The unearthed coffin reacted like a living being, greedily sucking up the fresh blood on its lid.
And yet the surrounding servants and guards showed no reaction—
their eyes were blank, staring forward.
Even as the crimson-robed Taoist beheaded them one by one, they showed no fear or resistance.
They just stood there, motionless.
The Taoist's blade rose and fell, a cold smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
[Crimson-Robed Taoist Lv.17 (Lord)]
The sight made Gunilla and the others look grim.
Their own worlds were far from peaceful—pirates, demons, man-eating monsters… they had seen blood and brutality.
But never anything quite like this.
These people… were like sheep awaiting slaughter, willingly feeding a monster.
[Side Quest Activated]: Before the true Taoist Master arrives, stop the Crimson-Robed Taoist from continuing to feed the demonic corpse.
Reward: 3,000 Reward Points, 600 Contribution Points
Note: Completing this quest will reduce the main mission's difficulty.
"He's feeding a ghost with human lives… Unforgivable!"
Tanjiro's eyes widened in rage. He reached for his sword, ready to charge—
only to be stopped by Rin.
Rin shook her head. "Don't be reckless. We agreed to fight with Gunilla as our core."
"A lord-tier enemy right out of the gate…"
Kuina unsheathed her sword, worried. "Can we even handle something like that?"
They were all new players, with basic gear, no high-level skills, and no business challenging a boss-tier enemy.
According to Zoro's advice,
to face even a Tier 1 Lord, a player needed several purple-grade gear pieces and Lv.15 or higher core skills.
Even Gunilla, their strongest, had only a few green items.
Skill-wise:
Rin's medical ninjutsu was rated a blue skill at Lv.8.
Gunilla's Half-Yoma Blood was considered a low-tier bloodline, paired with the blue skill [Yoki Burst].
Kuina had Lv.5 pirate swordsmanship.
Shockingly, Tanjiro had the highest-tier skill:
his Hinokami Kagura was judged a purple-grade breathing technique.
But it wasn't leveled—marked [Incomplete Mastery] and currently unusable.
This ragtag team…
facing a lord-tier boss like the Crimson-Robed Taoist?
They might as well serve themselves up as extra nourishment.
"The quest doesn't say we need to kill him—just stop him from feeding the demonic corpse before some Taoist arrives."
Rin's eyes scanned the area.
She only saw gloomy tombstones—no sign of help.
But the Reincarnation Game never made mistakes.
"In that case," she said, "we don't need to fight him head-on. Just stall for time. That greatly lowers the danger."
Everyone furrowed their brows in thought.
Gunilla nodded. "I'll engage him. You focus on rescuing the people under his spell."
With their roles set,
Gunilla charged the Crimson-Robed Taoist, dragging her massive sword.
At that moment, the Taoist's blade-like fingers were poised to slice into another servant's head—
but he sensed a sudden gust and turned.
Clang!
Her blade met his hand.
The metallic clang echoed, sharp and clear.
The sword, forged by the Claymore Organization to slay Yoma,
actually cracked slightly from the clash.
"Who are you?"
"Westerners? No… invaders!"
The Taoist's expression shifted, then twisted into a savage grin.
"More fools thinking they can resist corruption? You wretches want to defeat me?"
With a flick of his hand,
an overwhelming force slammed into Gunilla, driving her to one knee.
The ground beneath her cracked under the pressure.
"Haa!"
Gunilla twisted her blade around to avoid a direct clash.
This truly was a Lv.17 Lord.
Based on her estimation, his Strength stat was likely around [30]—and that might not even be his strongest attribute.
Given his control of the hypnotized servants, his use of demonic corpses, and his withered frame,
he was more likely a summoner or caster-type.
Blade Rune!
Gunilla pulled out a golden talisman and slapped it onto her damaged sword.
A faint golden light shimmered. The rune merged with the weapon, coating the blade in a thin sheen.
"Foolish."
The Taoist scoffed, deflecting her empowered strike with two fingers.
The sound rang out again—but his bones and flesh remained unscathed.
Just then—
Tanjiro and the others made their move.
Using the distraction, they grabbed the ropes holding up the coffin.
In a synchronized motion, they looped and yanked, trapping most of the spellbound servants.
"Leave them to me!"
Rin formed hand signs. A puff of smoke—then multiple shadow clones appeared, dragging the immobilized people to safety.
But Rin wasn't Lady Tsunade—
without superhuman strength, even with clone assistance, her speed was slow.
"You dare steal my offerings?!"
The Taoist's face twisted with rage. He formed new seals and sneered:
"Yingzhou Yin-Yang Arts? Hah. You dare flaunt stolen scraps of Daoist magic before me?"
As he sealed,
an intense yin energy surged from nearby graves—like icy mist blanketing the area.
Tombstones rattled. Earth cracked open.
Out crawled zombies covered in long white hair.
[White-Haired Zombie Lv.11 (Elite)]
"Damn it—he's like a necromancer!"
Gunilla gritted her teeth and hacked at his hands, trying to interrupt the spell.
She'd seen this power in the "Ghost Stories of Qing Kingdom" shop.
It came from a subclass: Corpse Master—a rare ability worth 200,000 points.
"He has that? Then I'll kill him first!"
She broke his technique. The zombies sluggishly halted—
they'd lost their purpose and looked like they wanted to crawl back into their graves.
This cemetery was a naturally yin-rich zone, perfect for raising corpses.
That was why the Taoist chose it.
Yoki Burst!
Gunilla's pupils turned gold,
her gaze feral and wild.
Her power surged.
She dodged a strike meant to pierce her gut and countered—
slicing off the Taoist's shriveled wrist.
"Hmm? What an intriguing aura…"
He wasn't angry at the injury. In fact, he grinned greedily.
"That scent… it's Yoma. But the dragon veins of Qing Kingdom are weak—no new Yoma have appeared in years.
Still, this energy… it's mixed. Something's off…"
Forget the offerings—
he now stared at Gunilla like she was his new prey.
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