But the next moment, Chen Lun nearly burst into tears.
"Damn it, what the hell!? Even if it's crippled, it's still a B-rank Mysterious Object, and you can't control it!?"
The gold apple pendant on the priest's chest once again burst into light, stronger and more intense than before.
The hypnosis effect released by Chen Lun through "Mermaid's Song" was dispelled!
"Ahhh!!!!!"
The crying of the "Sun-avoiding Potted Plant" grew louder, causing Chen Lun's eardrums to sting.
A black light ring fluctuated, passing through the bodies of both the priest and Chen Lun, making them tremble simultaneously.
It was a pain like one's soul being dragged out, accompanied by a profound emptiness, as if their heartbeats were about to cease.
Chen Lun knelt on the ground, bowed his head, and gasped heavily, like a fish out of water.
"Ah——!"
Floey screamed miserably.
Chen Lun's heart tightened, and he looked up.
He saw countless branches of the "Sun-avoiding Potted Plant" weave into two "giant pythons," plunging violently into Floey's eyes!
The petite girl had already collapsed on the ground, letting the strange plant bore into her brain.
The baby face in the center of the sunflower closed its eyes and fell into slumber, yet its mouth revealed a sweet smile.
The scene was incredibly eerie!
Chen Lun clenched his teeth and was about to rush forward to rescue her, but was blocked by a massive figure.
"Where do you think you're going?"
The priest stood with his back to the sun, his cold eyes gazing down at Chen Lun from beneath the shadow.
"I told you can't escape!"
He brought his hand down with a violent slap, the pressure of the wind growing intense.
In his desperation, Chen Lun had no choice but to dodge to the side.
Boom!!
The ground caved in, forming a large pit, and debris flew towards Chen Lun, causing an intense stinging pain.
Floey's body trembled slightly, as if she were enduring unimaginable pain, her life slowly ebbing away.
"Brother..."
Floey whispered softly and then fell completely unconscious.
Chen Lun looked at her and clenched his fists.
Since crossing over, Chen Lun had come to see this girl in a new light.
She wasn't the cold-hearted, influential person who only knew slaughter and treated people like ants, the villainous boss from his memory of the future.
Chen Lun had crossed over to a time before Floey was completely transformed by the Red Apple Church into a soulless, human Sharp Blade; the current her still retained her humanity, warmth, and innocence.
He would not allow his appearance to cause Floey's premature death.
This was not the Destiny he wanted to change!
"If you make me fail the A-rank hidden consecutive mission I've finally received, I will show you what cruelty is..."
Chen Lun said without a trace of emotion on his face.
Boom!!
The priest bared his teeth in a hint of madness and violently punched Chen Lun in the face!
"Cruel? Do you mean your concept of cruelty is just tickling me?"
The priest's deep and hoarse voice slowly said.
The next second, Priest Carter narrowed his eyes and looked down at the motionless black-haired young man beneath him.
Chen Lun somehow had raised his arm in time, blocking it beside his cheek, holding off the priest's heavy punch.
His entire arm was covered in dark golden scales, neatly arranged like a puzzle, radiating extreme beauty under the sunlight.
[Animal Mimicry LVMAX]
[Carp Armor]
[Skill Description: You learn to grow scales like a pangolin, temporarily gaining strong physical defense capabilities.]
Chen Lun slowly raised his head, revealing pale yellow vertical pupils of a snake, his expression fierce.
The scales spread slowly, covering half of Chen Lun's face and neck in dark gold.
[All sacrifices have escaped, you have completed the C-rank mission: Mercy]
[You have received the mission reward: 500 experience points and 800 Copper Kro.]
[You have killed a Supernatural Creature, the Rotting Hound, and gained 70 experience points]*4
Chen Lun received a prompt the moment before the priest made his move, with two waves of rewards coming one after another, as if they had agreed to arrive together.
He thought, "That's just in time," and spent all of the nearly one thousand experience points he had accumulated to level up five times.
As his panel received an all-around upgrade, Chen Lun allocated all 14 accumulated attribute points into Strength, which surged to 22 points. It was comparable to the priest's and even slightly surpassed him.
"And now?"
Chen Lun lifted the arm blocking the punch and twisted, transforming into the Serpentine Incarnation. His arm, covered in scales like a Golden Python, coiled around the priest's thick arm.
Then he violently twisted it!
"Aooo!!"
The priest's inhuman scream pierced the air as Chen Lun ripped off his arm, tearing it completely from its root!
The pangolin's scales had a strong cutting ability; paired with the snake body's entanglement, it was virtually a living meat grinder.
Priest Carter staggered a few steps while howling in agony, holding the stump of his arm as blood spurted wildly.
Chen Lun knew that such an injury was not fatal to a Transcendent from the Flesh Faction.
Perhaps, before long, the priest could even grow a new arm.
So he once again unleashed the hypnotic power of the "Mermaid's Song," enveloping the priest.
The priest's golden apple pendant on his chest autonomously protected him, once again emitting a gentle golden light that neutralized the hypnotic effect.
"Don't bother... scum..."
Gasping for breath, the priest mockingly whispered.
"It can defend against most mental-type supernatural powers, allowing me to remain alert at all times."
But Chen Lun was not discouraged. He hadn't run out of tricks; in fact, he never intended to use hypnosis to control the priest in the first place.
Everything was within his expectations.
"Wah!! Wah!!"
The Sun-avoiding Potted Plant, finally provoked, opened the black eyes on the baby face in its sunflower middle, and a branch shot out piercing the air.
The spear-like branch, moving with a speed beyond the priest's reflexes, penetrated his chest from the back.
Spurt!
Blood jetted out!
"What...!?"
The priest's eyes widened, his mouth gaping.
The branch wrapped around the golden apple pendant on his chest and then violently retracted, placing it into the baby's mouth to be crunched down to nothing.
A valuable Mysterious Object was just eaten like that.
The priest had no time to grieve because he now truly felt "heartache"!
A large hole gaped in his chest, and one could even see his damaged heart still stubbornly beating within his ribcage.
Seeing this, Chen Lun revealed a cold, triumphant smile.
The poor priest knew nothing of the Sun-avoiding Potted Plant.
NPCs couldn't see the panel information; of course, they didn't know it originated from a High Sequence Transcendent who had renounced the Sun faith and turned into this after death, repelling all forces associated with the Sun Faction.
As the priest kept using the golden apple pendant imbued with the Sun's power before the plant, it was like he was seeking trouble with the Xie Family by boldly entering their latrine with a lantern, looking for Xie Te.
"Aarghh!! Die!!"
Enraged like a madman, the priest charged at Chen Lun.
His remaining arm fell like a hammer, but with a slap, it was firmly caught by Chen Lun's hand.
"You're the one who's going to die...!"
"Die!!!"
Chen Lun roared.
Turning his waist, lifting his knee, then ferociously kicked out.
With a sonic boom accompanied by waves of air, the kick landed on the priest's forehead like a meteor strike.
Bang!!!
[Animal Mimicry LVMAX]
[Scorpion Tail Needle]
[Skill Description: You've mastered the traits of a scorpion's tail flick when hunting or defending, and can temporarily poison your enemy.]
Shick—!!
A large head soared into the sky, trailing hot blood in an arc before tumbling to the ground.
The priest's robust torso, now without support, spewed a column of blood and fell thunderously to the ground.
[You have killed Carter, a Transcendent of the Red Apple Church, Sequence Nine Butcher from the Flesh Faction, and you've gained 1000 Experience Points!]