"Heh." Chen Shuo sneered coldly. He couldn't believe Xiao Mingchen could still be so stubborn in the face of death.
At this point, no matter what he said, today would be his day of reckoning.
"Xiyan, do it!"
Hearing Chen Shuo's command, Su Xiyan didn't hesitate. She focused intently, concentrating all her power into a single point.
Normally, it would be effortless for Su Xiyan to summon the Demon Hunting Crossbow, but with Chen Shuo's power enhancement, she encountered some resistance. With each bit of energy she gathered, another bead of sweat formed on her forehead.
Sensing the immense energy, the Ghost King Xiao Mingchen let out a heart-wrenching scream. He was truly terrified now.
In the face of death, his previous arrogance vanished: "Chen Shuo, if you spare me, I'll be your slave. If you want, I can even help you become the new king of Su City."
"Not only that, I can introduce you to the powers behind me. I know you're currently at the Semi-Legendary Ghost Saint level, right? If you gain their favor, you'll definitely break through your current level and reach the legendary Demon Saint realm."
Xiao Mingchen firmly believed the temptation he offered was too great for Chen Shuo to refuse.
The Demon Saint was the pinnacle of vampire power, a height countless vampires couldn't reach in their entire lifetime.
But he was wrong, mistaken in his understanding of Chen Shuo's true strength.
Chen Shuo had already reached the Demon Saint level, and he didn't need any external help.
However, Xiao Mingchen's words did catch Chen Shuo's attention. To guide a Semi-Legendary Ghost Saint to the Demon Saint realm would require at least a Demon Saint level vampire.
In other words, there were other Demon Saints in this world besides him.
Realizing this, Chen Shuo's expression grew serious.
Previously, Chen Shuo might have thought Xiao Mingchen was just talking big to save his life.
But after hearing his explanation, Chen Shuo began to ponder seriously.
As the saying goes, there's always someone better out there.
There were still many unknowns in this world, and one couldn't deny the outside world based on their own limited knowledge.
Just like how Legendary Demon Hunters were once thought to exist only in legends, yet they were real and present in the capital, less than a thousand miles away.
And there might be more than one. If Legendary Demon Hunters existed, it wouldn't be surprising if Demon Saints did too.
"I appreciate your offer, but for us right now, eliminating you is more important. You've done too much evil and should face the consequences," Chen Shuo said after a long pause.
His decision wouldn't be swayed by the other's words. Even if there were other Demon Saints, they were just at the same level as him. In a fight to the death, it wasn't certain who would win.
Moreover, Chen Shuo had the support of his system, giving him some confidence if it came to that.
"Xiyan, don't wait any longer."
Chen Shuo looked at Su Xiyan and nodded.
By now, Su Xiyan was drenched in sweat, her flushed face showing her discomfort.
This arrow contained the strongest arrow intent she had ever used, further enhanced by Chen Shuo's power.
At Chen Shuo's nod, she finally released the arrow.
This arrow, imbued with the essence of heaven and earth, flew out like an unsheathed blade, tracing a beautiful arc in the air.
Its speed was so fast that it was imperceptible to the naked eye. The Ghost King Xiao Mingchen didn't even have time to react. As the light pierced through him, his pupils contracted violently.
Without much suffering, without even uttering a word, Xiao Mingchen's form dispersed like dust. Simultaneously, countless golden lights flew towards Su Xiyan.
In an instant, Su Xiyan was enveloped in golden light. Seeing the dazzling radiance, Chen Shuo smiled with satisfaction.
A Ghost King was indeed a Ghost King. This powerful energy was incomparable to the previous vampires they had encountered.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that even a hundred high-level vampires couldn't match a single Ghost King.
Now, all Chen Shuo had to do was wait for Su Xiyan to quietly absorb everything.
According to Chen Shuo's guess, after absorbing the Ghost King Xiao Mingchen's energy, Su Xiyan should be able to successfully break through to the Platinum Rank.
He was curious to see just how far into the Platinum Rank she would reach, and felt a sense of anticipation.
Time passed minute by minute, with Chen Shuo silently standing guard beside Su Xiyan.
The golden light gradually faded from deep to light as time went on.
From the initial golden yellow to a pale yellow, and finally to colorless.
When the "energy cocoon" enveloping Su Xiyan finally burst, she slowly awakened from her meditative state.
As she opened her eyes again, Su Xiyan exuded an aura completely different from before.
She had broken through, and her strength had increased significantly. Even without Su Xiyan displaying her power, Chen Shuo could clearly sense it.
The current Su Xiyan was at least several times stronger than before. Now, she could probably easily handle a Semi-Legendary Ghost King level vampire.
"How do you feel? What level have you reached?" Chen Shuo asked with concern as Su Xiyan recovered.
"I... I'm not quite sure. I feel some fluctuations, and... I sense something inside my body," Su Xiyan said, assessing herself.
Due to her recent breakthrough, everything was still unstable.
As she was self-assessing, she suddenly became aware of something new in her body, making her feel a bit uneasy.
She didn't know when it had appeared, as it hadn't been there before.
But after absorbing the energy, this thing appeared. She could sense it, but couldn't touch it.
It seemed to exist, yet also seemed not to.
This feeling of something being there yet not there left Su Xiyan feeling uncertain.
She wasn't sure if this was normal after a breakthrough, so she explained her situation to Chen Shuo. His expression grew serious as he listened.
He had never heard of such a situation before. It shouldn't be like this.
To be safe, Chen Shuo placed his hand on Su Xiyan's shoulder.
He channeled his internal yin cold energy, converting it into natural energy that Su Xiyan could accept, and slowly let it seep into Su Xiyan's body through her pores.
At first, everything went smoothly. Chen Shuo could clearly sense Su Xiyan's current strength.
But when Chen Shuo's power tried to probe her sea of consciousness, a great resistance, like surging waves, blocked his power from afar.
Chen Shuo wasn't willing to give up. He tried again, but the result was the same as before.
"How can this be?" Chen Shuo muttered, his expression growing more serious. But he had no intention of giving up. He once again mobilized his internal yin cold energy and continued to try...