The surrounding air seemed to have solidified, leaving only the sound of a heartbeat echoing in his ears.
Chen Qi focused his attention.
As expected, this was the monster that had left every Hunter empty-handed.
The instant after shouting its harsh words, the monster seemed to vanish without leaving any trace.
In the narrow, dark carriage, black liquid kept dripping down.
Hunter's Eye!
Chen Qi's eyes flashed with a glimmer of light, the surrounding Spiritual Power became clearer, and his movements slowed down.
A trace of Spiritual Power mixed with negative emotions, like a banshee's breath, blew on the nape of his neck.
It was an ambush!
Clang!
Qi Blade Great Rotation!
Chen Qi spun to his left and unsheathed his blade, creating a beautiful Helical Slash in the air that blocked the monster's dual-hand attack.
After the crisp sound of metal, the Rift Lost was knocked back several meters, leaving a black bloodstain on the floor.
At this moment, Chen Qi finally saw the monster's true form.
Its decaying body was wrapped in a thick, twisted shadow but still wore the Hunter's Clothes.
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From its neck, a long worm-like mouth opened up.
Its hands had transformed into sharp crimson mantis blades.
Its aura of a Second-tier monster, with both high speed and strength, was terrifying for a First Order Hunter facing it alone in a rift.
After the ambush failed, the Rift Lost laughed and said:
"Human body... interesting, perhaps you can survive here like me."
It leaned forward as if preparing to dash, then burst out like lightning.
Its sprint speed in that instant was beyond what the naked eye of an ordinary person could catch.
Fortunately, under dynamic vision, it was merely the sprint of a hamster.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Chen Qi swung his longsword, continuously blocking, then seized an opportunity, stabbing the monster's throat-mouth and lifting it up.
In that airborne moment, the Rift Lost couldn't make any moves.
All the monster's actions seemed so sluggish, all visible to his eyes.
Then, in the moment of lifting, Chen Qi swiftly sheathed his sword, forming the posture of a Draw Sword Slash.
See through, Ghost Fire Slash!
The monster's body of the Rift Lost was torn again, spilling new blood.
The Rift Lost crashed heavily onto the rusty seats.
"Is that it?"
Chen Qi said with a smile.
The power the Rift Lost displayed couldn't even entertain him.
The Rift Lost now knelt on one knee, looking bedraggled.
It hadn't expected Chen Qi to retaliate so forcefully in such a short time.
The previous Hunters had fed the Rift Lost too many heads, giving it overconfidence.
Chen Qi once again placed his black blade across his chest.
After more than twenty days of practice, he had assimilated a ton of knowledge from the Hunter Yu Huo.
Moves like See Through, Qi Blade Great Rotation, Draw Sword Slash, Stepping Forward Slash, Gale Breath Seal Slash, he had already grasped a few.
Chen Qi adjusted his breathing, once again infusing Qi Power into his body.
However, at this moment, something unexpected happened.
The Rift Lost didn't attack, instead, it kept saying:
"You... interesting... you must... stay and accompany me."
"I won't... let you die... but will bind you... so you feel the passage of centuries... without leaving the carriage, doing nothing."
Not just words but more like an icy curse.
An unprecedented shadowy aura emanated from the Rift Lost.
It wasn't sorrow, nor hatred, but an even darker negative emotion:
Despair.
Rumble, rumble! The carriage seemed to start sobbing!
In the Rift Lost's eyes, Chen Qi remained just a Hunter falling into its trap.
"Something's wrong..."
Chen Qi quickly backed off.
"You must stay!"
The Rift Lost smashed its dual hands down, as if nailing the carriage with thick planks.
Then, it let out a hoarse voice:
"Shadow Release... Living Coffin Car."
As the words fell, the carriage's windows and doors were instantly sealed with black ink.
The negative Spiritual Power also materialized, forming dozens of thick Shadow Hands.
Chen Qi's pupils shrank, finding the scene unbelievable.
Release techniques!
Essentially, the Rift Lost before him was a Shadow Phase monster, born from a human's overwhelming negative emotions, using a human body as its core.
Thus, its techniques had many similarities to those of humans.
On the path of Transcendence, mastering a release technique was a crucial milestone.
Release techniques required extensive practice, came with significant costs, and had stringent usage conditions.
Some powerful release techniques could even warp space and directly affect one's mind.
Like the Flower Witch's Flowers Blossom in Blood.
And release techniques were named differently based on their Nature Form.
Generally, a Blade Phase release was called Blade Release, while a Cup Phase release was called Cup Release...
Encountering a monster using a release technique in a D-tier rift?
Chen Qi's mouth opened slightly in astonishment!
Without special conditions, release techniques were the privilege of Third-order Transcendents.
To use a release technique at the Second-tier, only a very few talents could do so!
A Rift Lost in a D-tier rift was using a release technique right in front of him!
Even in high-difficulty scenarios, this was extremely rare.
Is this even reasonable!
The entire carriage was painted with a thick layer of black liquid.
The Rift Lost wielded its blood-soaked blade arms like an elegant conductor:
"Shadow Hand, go!
Hold him down!"
Sounds of rending air filled the room as numerous Shadow Hands attacked from all directions.
The Rift Lost's Living Coffin Car had three effects.
First, endless Shadow Hands emerging from the carriage, binding the enemy's limbs.
Once caught, it induced despair and corroded the body.
Second, the entire space would be sealed by powerful Shadow Phase energy, making escape difficult.
Third, within this carriage, one would suffer constant negative emotional interference.
Shadow Hands spawned continuously, the Rift Lost watching from a distance, sneering like it was observing a rabbit in a trap.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Shadow Hands continuously attacked from the floor, the ceiling, and the windows.
Chen Qi swung his sword in defense, but the attacks were too dense, forcing him to retreat continuously.
Two fists were no match for a hundred hands!
"No, I must run, I must go home..."
"No, I will die... I can't beat it."
"I must... run away, I'm definitely no match for the Rift Lost..."
"If this continues, I won't be able to leave the train."
Chen Qi suddenly uttered a string of discouragements.
A wave of inexplicable sadness spread through his mind.
Wait, why am I saying these discouraging words?
Chen Qi adjusted his breathing, stayed calm, and felt the Shadow Phase energy permeating the carriage.
In an instant, he was already tainted by this despairing aura, leading to thoughts of escape and despair.
"Am I really scared by just this level?"
Chen Qi bit down on his finger, using the pain to stay awake, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes.
At this moment, the Rift Lost, like a Hunter enjoying its prey's struggle, chuckled.
It loved these sounds, these sounds of despair before the prey fled.
Bang!
A Shadow Hand grabbed Chen Qi's right arm, attempting to break through his Qi Power defense.
Chen Qi gritted his teeth, his heartbeat quickening.
Though he felt sadness, rationally analyzing, this minor level was far from killing him.
It couldn't even force out his trump card.
The Rift Lost was the challenger!
It's just that the shadowy aura had eroded him.
He needed to end this quickly, or there would be mental issues...
Chen Qi thought of something, pulling a blue gemstone from his backpack card.
It was time to use this forbidden item.